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Diploma of Higher Education in Law and Languages - Learning outcomes

Educational aims

This qualification will provide you with:

  • The opportunity to gain solid knowledge and understanding of the legal system of England and Wales; to gain solid knowledge and understanding of the role and function of law in an increasingly globalised world.
  • Opportunities to learn how to communicate effectively in your chosen language, both in speech and in writing, and to gain an understanding of the structure of the language and of how it is used in different contexts, as well as knowledge of the societies and cultures in which that language is used, and intercultural communication competence.
  • Comprehensive support and guidance to develop as an independent learner, to develop legal and language skills, and to develop a range of non-subject-specific skills, including academic, digital, and professional skills.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You’ll be able to demonstrate:

  • The concepts values, rules and principles of the legal system in England and Wales, and some awareness of the powers exercised by the devolved legislatures in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
  • A range of areas of substantive English law and their impact on individuals and society.
  • The social, political, economic, historical and ethical dimensions of law.
  • The ability to communicate fluently and appropriately with competent speakers of at least two languages in a broad variety of oral and written contexts, including academic ones, maintaining a good degree of grammatical accuracy and appropriate style.
  • Solid knowledge and understanding of aspects of the societies of the countries where each language is spoken (including aspects such as literatures, cultures, linguistic contexts, politics, geography, and social and economic structures).
  • Solid intercultural communicative competence, including a reasoned awareness and critical understanding of the cultures and societies associated with each language and the ability to describe and evaluate the similarities and dissimilarities between cultures and societies with your own.

Cognitive skills

You’ll be able to demonstrate your ability to:

  • Ask and answer appropriate questions about law and legal systems, identifying gaps in your own knowledge.
  • Combine and criticise various sources of legal authority, identify their merits and shortcomings, and make a reasoned choice between them.
  • Apply legal principles and authority to develop reasoned answers to questions.
  • Make use of a wide variety of written, spoken and multimodal texts for different audiences in your chosen modern language and/or English, employing appropriate reading and listening strategies.
  • Write texts of different types in your chosen modern language and/or English, following appropriate structures and conventions, including academic language, selecting and making critical use of written and spoken sources.
  • Make spoken presentations on particular topics, using appropriate styles and techniques, and take part in a wide variety of spoken interactions in your chosen modern language, using appropriate discourse strategies.
  • Interpret and critically evaluate evidence in the light of alternative explanations, arguments and theories.

Practical and/or professional skills

You’ll be able to demonstrate your ability to:

  • Conduct independent legal research.
  • Identify, retrieve and evaluate legal information from a range of electronic and other sources.
  • Acknowledge the sources of information that you have used, in a style appropriate to the task.
  • Gather and process information from a variety of paper, audio-visual and electronic sources, in English and your chosen language.

Key skills

You’ll be able to:

  • Communicate relevant ideas clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing, work with a range of textual, numerical and statistical data.
  • Reflect on your own learning and development, making effective use of feedback, and demonstrating a willingness to acknowledge and correct errors.
  • Demonstrate the ability to independently find, critically evaluate and use a wide range of information, data or tools accurately in complex contexts.
  • Recognise and use effective learning strategies.

Teaching, learning and assessment methods

The modules in this qualification employ a blended approach of textbooks, online materials, synchronous and non-synchronous online tutorials with tutors. All modules involve assignments and either an end-of-course assessment or exam.