Course Code : LAW 303
Course Title : Consumer Law
Weekly Teaching Hour: 3-hours lecture per week, 1 (1-hour) tutorial every week
Who may enrol : Compulsory for Year 3 (Junior) LLB. Students
Prerequisites : N/A
Lecturer : To be announced on August 2020
Description : Outline the criminal and civil regulatory framework for protecting consumers against typical risks of harm or loss when buying or selling goods and services in the market. Apply relevant knowledge and skills to the resolution of typical problems faced by consumers when buying or selling goods and services, or taking out credit agreements.
COURSE CONTENT Indicative syllabus content: • Theoretical and philosophical justification for consumer protection • Legal and extra-legal regulation and an assessment of their efficacy • The range of civil liability in contract law: dealing as a business and as a consumer • Implied terms regarding the quality of goods supplied under contract • Implied terms regarding the quality of services supplied under contract • Legal regulation of unfair terms of contract • Product liability for dangerous goods under common law and statute • The legal control of credit transactions and liability of creditors for the quality of goods and services supplied • Criminal liability regarding supply of goods
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES On successful completion of this course a student will be able to: 1. Locate, retrieve, analyse and apply common law and statutory rules relevant for identifying the content of consumer obligations in respect of the quality and standard, and the fairness of any subsequent terms of agreement, for the supply of goods and services to private consumers. 2. Apply relevant common law and statutory provision to factual situations in order to identify what a private consumer’s rights are, in respect of quality and safety, under a contract for the supply of goods or services. 3. Evaluate, critically, areas of consumer protection law which are open to interpretation and explain the consequences for consumer law policy. 4. Formulate and test hypotheses for explaining gaps in legal analysis and consumer protection policy using relevant theoretical and philosophical perspectives on consumerism and consumer policy.
TEACHING METHODS The course will be delivered through weekly lectures and fortnightly small group seminars. Lectures will introduce students to the philosophy and fundamental principles of law relevant to the subject, the aim being to provide a stimulus to further learning by private study in which pre-set reading is undertaken. Seminars will take the form of interactive discussion making use of case studies of pre-prepared questions to promote a student’s ability to analyse and apply legal principles and reflect critically on the broader implications for the philosophy of consumer protectionism and, more narrowly, the efficacy of consumer protection policy. Students will be expected to have independently researched topics for discussion and participate fully in seminar discussions.
Recommended Textbook (s) and Supplementary Books :
- Law Express: Consumer and Commercial Law, 5th edition , Publisher: Pearson; by Judith Tillson (Author), ISBN-10: 1292210117, ISBN-13: 978-1292210117
- Core Statutes on Commercial & Consumer Law 2019-20 (4th Edition) Author(s): Graham Stephenson ,publisher: macmillanihe 9781352006636
- Consumer Law, Edited by: Thomas Wilhelmsson, Geraint Howells, Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, ISBN13: 9781788111430
- Handbook of Research on International Consumer Law 2nd ed, Edited by: Geraint Howells, Iain Ramsay, Thomas Wilhelmsson, Published Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, ISBN 9781785368202
- Reading lists and other materials will be provided for students registered on the course via online by lecturer.
Course Assessment:
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Class Participation 10%,
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Mid-term Examination 30%,
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Assignments 10%,
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Final Examination 50%,
Attendance 95 % compulsory.