MODULE HANDBOOK 2025/26

Equality Law

Module Code: LAW811 

Course/s: LLM Gender, Conflict and Human Rights; LLM Human Rights and Transitional Justice

School of Law

Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Notice

Please be aware the information provided within the module handbook is subject to change.

Table of Contents

Module Code: LAW811 1

Table of Contents 2

Welcome 3

1. Module Overview and Communication 4
2. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Graduate Attributes (GAs) in your module 6
3. Aim and Learning Outcomes 7
4. Assessment and Feedback 8
5. Learning Resources 12
6. Organisation and Management 17
7. Student Voice and Support Services 20

Welcome

Welcome to the Equality Law module!

 This Module Handbook should provide you with all the information you need to successfully prepare for and complete the Equality Law module. The pages below outline the details of your assessments, your mandatory and additional reading, as well as the topics we will cover together throughout the semester.

We look forward to meeting you all and we hope you enjoy this module.

1. Module Overview and Communication

2. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Graduate Attributes (GAs) in your module

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The UN SDGs are a comprehensive set of global goals to end poverty,protect our planet,and improve living conditions of the Global Population.This module is designed to enable you to develop the subject relevant knowledge and competencies to contribute to a sustainable future aligned with the UN SDGs.

The following Sustainable Development Goal(s) are embedded in this module of learning:

Graduate Attributes (GAs) 

Ulster University’s Graduate Attributes are a high-level set of competencies, developing universal understandings, skills, qualities, and values.

As a result of engaging with this module you will have opportunities to develop and practise the following selected attributes* :

*Please note that your willingness to engage with this module, with your programme of studies as well as with university life and community, will enable you to develop most attributes. As academics, we will be assessing your ability to become an ‘Engaged Learner” specifically in LAW811.

3. Aim and Learning Outcomes 

Module Rationale

This module complements the Foundations of International Human Rights Law module by introducing the students to core principles of Equality law. This module seeks to explore inequality in society and the legal strategies deployed to combat it. We will explore the Northern Ireland laws on discrimination and there is also a strong comparative and international dimension to this module. We will look at developments at the European and UN levels as well examining South Africa and Canada. The module provides the opportunity for students to appreciate a range of equality principles and the interaction between them.

Overall Aim of the Module

This module sets out the core elements of the Northern Irish equality law regime in its British, European and international context. It aims to acquaint students with the evolution of equality law policy across a spectrum of non-discrimination and equality concepts and in relation to a complementary range of enforcement mechanisms, including comparative constitutional mechanisms, culminating in the prospects of the future development of a coherent equality law model, nationally, regionally, and internationally.

Learning Outcomes

Successful participants will be able to:

1) To analyse, develop and understand key concepts underpinning Equality law

2) Interpret/synthesise Equality law at the international, regional and local levels

3) Summarise key arguments relating to Equality case-law correctly and coherently with reference to the applicable legal framework

4) Critically appraise both the application and limitations of Equality law, including strategies designed to advance legal protection

4. Assessment and Feedback

Summary Assessment Information

Assessment 1: Case Note

1) Details: The assessment will take the form of a case note of 1,000 words (excluding both footnotes and bibliography). Students will be able to select a case from a range of cases discussed within Weeks1-4 or have the option of selecting their own after consulting the module convenor.

2) Deadline: Friday 6^th March at 12:00 (noon). This date and time are final and late submissions will be penalised by the deduction of marks.

3) Weight: This case note will account for 25% of the overall assessment. (Students are strongly advised to refer to the Standard Assessment Guidance and the Marking Criteria).

4) Word count: 1,000 words in length. This excludes both footnotes and the bibliography.

5) Submission: Completed assignments must be submitted in Word format via the Turnitin Dropbox in your Blackboard Course Area by the specified date and time outlined in the Key Assessment Information Table above.

All submitted assignments should have the file name:

1. "SurnameFirstNameBNumber"
2. e.g. BrownJohnB00001234_AssignmentOne.

6) Feedback: Feedback on this assessment will be provided via Blackboard, 3 working weeks post date of submission.

Assessment 2: Essay

1) Details: The assessment will take the form of an individual essay of 3,000 words (including footnotes but excluding bibliography). Students will be able to select an essay from a range of questions provided (the list will be available on Blackboard).

2) Deadline: Friday 8^th May at 12:00 (noon). This date and time are final and late submissions will be penalised by the deduction of marks.

3) Weight: This essay will account for 75% of the overall assessment. (Students are strongly advised to refer to the Standard Assessment Guidance and the Marking Criteria).

4) Word count: 3,000 words in length. This excludes both footnotes and the bibliography.

5) Submission: Completed assignments must be submitted in Word format via the Turnitin Dropbox in your Blackboard Course Area by the specified date and time outlined in the Key Assessment Information Table above.

All submitted assignments should have the file name:

1. "SurnameFirstNameBNumber"
2. e.g. BrownJohnB00001234_AssignmentOne.

6) Feedback: Feedback on this assessment will be provided via Blackboard, 3 working weeks post date of submission.

Assessment Guidance

1)Referencing: Work should include references to journal articles and other relevant publications, and should be properly laid out using the OSCOLA system of referencing. This is through the use of footnotes followed by a bibliography. An example is given below of a book and article being referenced:

G Virgo, The Principles of Equity and Trusts (3^rd edn, OUP 2018)

S Gardner, ‘Two Maxims of Equity’ (1995) 54 CLJ 60

More detailed guidance is available at: https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxlaw/oscola_4th_edn_hart_2012.pdf

If you feel that you require more support with referencing we encourage you to avail of the Academic

Support via the Library’s Support Service, further details are in the Library Support Services Section.

2) Assessment criteria: You should refer to the assessment criteria to provide fuller details of the marking criteria for each classification band contained within this module handbook.

3) Plagiarism: In addition, you should refer to the standard assessment guidelines as presented in your Course Handbook/Support Area, this includes guidance and policies on referencing style, plagiarism, etc. Plagiarism is the act of taking or copying someone else’s work and presenting it as if it were one’s own. It can take several forms (e.g., copying; collusion; personation; contract cheating; covert use of AI generative tools; auto-plagiarism). Students committing such offences can face severe penalties. Further details (including examples) can be found on the university website, here.

4)Submission: Coursework must be submitted by the dates specified. Coursework submitted after the deadline, without prior approval, is not normally accepted. For further guidance on the late submission of coursework, please see the course handbook.

5) Word count: Non-compliance with the word limit will result in a penalty being applied in accordance with the University Word Limit Policy which can be found on your Course Support Area in Blackboard.

MARKING CRITERIA APPLICABLE TO LLM PROGRAMMES

5. Learning Resources 

Books/Journal Article/Publications Recommended Reading (Should read/Could read) 

Other useful Equality Law books include:

• E. Askin and H. Stoll, Contested equality: international and comparative legal perspectives (Elgar 2024). E-book available in library.
• M. Connolly, Equality, discrimination and the law (Routledge 2022). E-book available in library.
• M. Foran, Equality before the law: equal dignity, wrongful discrimination, and the rule of law (Bloomsbury 2023). E-book available in library.
• D.B. Oppenheimer, S. R. Foster, S.Y. Han and R.T. Ford, Comparative Equality and Anti- Discrimination Law (Elgar 2020). E-book available in library.
• S. Atrey and S. Fredman, Exponential inequalities: equality law in times of crisis (Oxford University Press 2023). Ebook available in library.
• I. Solanke, C. O’Cinneide and J. Rigelheim, Research Handbook on European Anti- Discrimination law (Edward Elgar Publishing 2025). Hard copy available in library. E-book on request.

Useful Journals

Cambridge Law Journal Common Market Law Review Current Legal Problems European Law Journal European Law Review European Public Law

Human Rights Quarterly Industrial Law Journal

International and Comparative Law Quarterly

International Journal of Comparative Labour Law and Industrial Relations International Journal of Discrimination and the Law

Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative Law Modern Law Review

Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly Oxford Journal of Legal Studies Public Law

Web Journal of Current Legal Issues Etc.

Please note that a wide range of legal resources is available in electronic format in the University. This includes online databases such as LEXIS, Westlaw and Hein On-Line, which contain full text

cases, primary and secondary legislation, journals’ articles and other legal sources from the UK and

other jurisdictions around the world.

Students will be expected to know how to find legal resources to increase their knowledge and understanding of relevant issues discussed in classes.

Useful Websites

CEDAW: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw

Committee on the Administration of Justice: http://www.caj.org.uk/ Council of Europe: http://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/home

Council of Europe Treaties: http://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/home Equality and Human Rights Commission: http://www.equalityhumanrights.com Equality Rights Trust: http://www.equalrightstrust.org/content/our-purpose Equality Commission for Northern Ireland: http://www.equalityni.org/Home European Centre for Minority Issues: http://www.ecmi.de/home/

European Court of Human Rights: http://www.echr.coe.int/Pages/home.aspx?p=home&c= European Court of Justice: http://europa.eu/about-eu/institutions-bodies/court-justice/index_en.htm European Disability Forum: http://www.edf-feph.org/

European Network Against Racism: http://www.enar-eu.org/

European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA Europe): http://www.ilga-europe.org/

UK Joint Committee on Human Rights: http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees- a-z/joint-select/human-rights-committee/

LEAF (Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund, excellent resource for Canadian case law):

http://www.leaf.ca/

Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission: http://www.nihrc.org/

Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA): http://www.nisra.gov.uk/ South African Constitutional Court: http://www.constitutionalcourt.org.za/site/home.htm Supreme Court of Canada: http://www.scc-csc.ca/home-accueil/index-eng.aspx

The Court (Useful resource for Canadian case law) http://www.thecourt.ca/

United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Pages/Home.aspx

UN Human Rights Bodies: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/Pages/HumanRightsBodies.aspx

UK Government Equalities Office: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/government- equalities-office

Useful Blogs

UK Human Rights Blog: http://ukhumanrightsblog.com/ UK Supreme Court Blog: http://ukscblog.com/

The Legal Action Group http://legalactiongroupnews.blogspot.com/

UK Constitutional Law Association (UKCLA) https://ukconstitutionallaw.org/blog/ Public Law for Everyone https://publiclawforeveryone.com/

ECHR Blog: http://echrblog.blogspot.co.uk/ Multirights blog: http://blogg.uio.no/jus/smr/multirights/ Human Rights in Ireland: http://humanrights.ie/

Oxford Human Rights Hub: http://www.law.ox.ac.uk/themes/humanrightshub/ RightsNI: http://rightsni.org/

Strasbourg Observers: http://strasbourgobservers.com/ OpinioJuris: http://opiniojuris.org/

See also Professor R O’Connell’s weblog at http://conlawfiles.org/

Library’s Support Services

In collaboration with teaching staff, your Subject Librarian will be delivering timetabled workshops to ensure you are able to make the best use of the Library’s services and information resources in successfully completing your coursework. Furthermore, if you need specific help with an assignment or dissertation then you can make an appointment to meet with your Subject Librarian by email, phone or through using the appointments schedule.

Online support is also available by accessing the Library’s Faculty Guides as these provide help in developing your information and research skills by identifying the best learning resources available, forming effective literature searches, offering academic writing support and adopting the best referencing techniques.

Blackboard Learning Support

If you require help or support with any of the digital learning tools utilised within your module, please

view Ulster’s Blackboard Student Support area. The Blackboard Helpdesk can be contacted via  028 9536 7188, or by  e-mail to blackboardhelpdesk@ulster.ac.uk

6. Organisation and Management

Summary of Learning Activities

Seminars – please refer to the teaching and learning plan below for the seminar topics. Attendance at seminars is very important and therefore will be monitored.

Reading lists will be made available on Blackboard for each teaching week by the staff member teaching the class.

Teaching and Learning Plan

The teaching plan/order of weekly topics is subject to change.

The list below provides an outline summary of weekly activities and further information is available on BBL in the relevant week’s folder, including the reading material/questions for discussion for each week.

Students will be expected to engage in all prescribed activities that contribute towards final assessment.