England

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Accessibility statement
Qualification dates
StartEnd
03 Oct 2026Jun 2027
06 Feb 2027Sept 2027
By studying this module, you’ll gain an understanding of the range of civil laws, as well as the operation of the civil justice system. You’ll develop knowledge of the issues relating to law-making in England and Wales, including key underpinnings of principles and actors operating in the legal system, as well as issues relating to access to justice and alternative dispute resolution. This module will also cover the substantive legal subject of tort law. A range of torts will be explored, including negligence, nuisance, and defamation.
You’ll be introduced to the operation of the civil justice system in England and Wales, including looking at a range of areas of law which come under the umbrella term ‘civil law’. The civil law court system will be covered, as well as modern developments in the administration of civil justice. Key underpinnings of the legal system will be discussed, such as legal reasoning and legal precedent, as well as the role of various actors within the legal profession, including litigants and legal practitioners. You’ll have the opportunity to consider the ethical issue of some people being unable to obtain access to justice through the courts. You'll also consider wider critical approaches to understanding how the law is interpreted, including how issues such as judicial bias or policy can affect the development of the law.
You’ll also be introduced to a range of case law and legislation in the dynamic and constantly growing area of tort law. You’ll learn about a range of torts, such as negligence, which forms the basis of a lot of litigation, including claims relating to accidents at work, car accidents and other personal injury claims. The torts of nuisance and defamation will also be covered. Alternative approaches to tortious liability drawn from different jurisdictions across the world will also be explored.
Through the module, you'll be given the opportunity to engage with problem-solving scenarios to test your ability to apply case law and legislation to a range of issues and aid the development of your skills as a lawyer. You will also be given the opportunity to critically engage with legal arguments through analysis of academic materials and reflect on improvements which can be made to the existing law.
You'll develop a range of skills when undertaking this module, such as in communication, research, information technology, self-reflection, and critical analysis. In engaging with this module, you will have the opportunity to develop skills germane to a career as a legal professional. These skills are transferable to many contexts for a new prospective career or in your current employment in business, local and national government, education, charitable and non-governmental organisations, or other public-facing and regulatory roles.
OU level 1 modules provide core subject knowledge and study skills needed for higher education and distance learning. It will give you the foundation knowledge and study skills to study law at a more advanced level (OU levels 2 and 3). By the end of your OU level 1 studies, you will be expected to be working at the level required of first-year undergraduate students.

If you are studying this module as part of the Bachelor of Laws (Honours) (LLB) (R81), then you will need to have studied or be studying on a previous presentation of Criminal law and the courts (W111) before you can begin W112.
You’ll get help and support from an assigned tutor throughout your module.
They’ll help by:
Online tutorials run throughout the module. While they’re not compulsory, we strongly encourage you to participate. Where possible, we’ll make recordings available.
Course work includes:
You will have digital access via Law Trove to Tort Law 9th edition (Horsey and Rackley) and a module website, which includes:
The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone, and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying W112 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.
To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our Disability support website.
Civil justice and tort law starts twice a year – in February and October.
This page describes the module that will start in October 2026 and February 2027.
We expect it to start for the last time in February 2029.
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