LAW20390 Criminal Liability

Academic Year 2023/2024

This module begins by introducing the student to the general principles of criminal liability. It examines the nature of criminal (as distinct from civil) liability and considers the elements of crime including in particular the concepts of actus reus, mens rea and issues in causation. The module then introduces a number of offences, namely homicide, non-fatal offences and theft offences. It also looks at the extent to which individuals can be penalised for complicity in the wrongdoing of others.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

1. Describe and analyse the general principles of criminal liability;
2. Distinguish between different offences relating to life, person and property
3. Apply substantive knowledge of criminal law to hypothetical factual scenarios
4. Engage with critiques of Irish criminal law
5. Suggest and appraise reforms of the law relating to issues covered in the module

Indicative Module Content:

Topics include an introduction to criminal law, the difference between civil and criminal law, the mental and physical components of criminal offences, homicide, non-fatal and theft offences.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24

Tutorial

4

Autonomous Student Learning

100

Total

128

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures
Tutorials
In-class discussion
Problem-solving exercises
Independent reading of case law and secondary literature by students 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Incompatibles:
LAW20180 - Criminal Law, LAW41910 - Advanced Criminal Law 1


 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Examination: A two hour, closed book examination with a selection of problem and essay questions. 2 hour End of Trimester Exam No Graded No

100


Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring Yes - 2 Hour
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Online automated feedback

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback will be given in lectures through quizzes and in-class discussion. Students are encouraged to avail of opportunities to discuss their ideas in lectures, as this can be a means of obtaining feedback from the lecturer and from peers. Tutorials form an important part of the teaching in this module. Students are expected to contribute to the discussion in tutorials and should see these discussions and debates as feedback opportunities. General feedback on the exam will be uploaded to Brightspace on the day provisional results are published, highlighting common issues in relation to each question on the exam. Students also have the opportunity of viewing their script after the publication of final results, and reading the comments of the examiner. After viewing their script students may schedule an appointment with the lecturer for further individual feedback.

Name Role
Assoc Professor Mark Coen Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Assoc Professor Tj McIntyre Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Aine Chatterjee Tutor
Mr Egzon Demiraj Tutor
Patrick Flynn Tutor
Benedetta Lobina Tutor
Rosemary Mangan Tutor
Amy Ní Ghiolla Tutor
Ms Alicia O'Connor Tutor
Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
 
Autumn
     
Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Wed 16:00 - 17:50
Tutorial Offering 1 Week(s) - 3, 5, 7, 10 Wed 12:00 - 12:50
Tutorial Offering 2 Week(s) - 4, 6, 9, 11 Wed 12:00 - 12:50
Tutorial Offering 3 Week(s) - 3, 5, 7, 10 Thurs 15:00 - 15:50
Tutorial Offering 4 Week(s) - 4, 6, 9, 11 Thurs 15:00 - 15:50
Tutorial Offering 5 Week(s) - 3, 5, 7, 10 Tues 16:00 - 16:50
Tutorial Offering 6 Week(s) - 4, 6, 9, 11 Tues 16:00 - 16:50
Tutorial Offering 7 Week(s) - 3, 5, 7, 10 Tues 16:00 - 16:50
Tutorial Offering 8 Week(s) - 4, 6, 9, 11 Tues 16:00 - 16:50
Tutorial Offering 9 Week(s) - 3, 5, 7, 10 Wed 11:00 - 11:50
Tutorial Offering 10 Week(s) - 3, 5, 7, 10 Wed 11:00 - 11:50
Tutorial Offering 11 Week(s) - 4, 6, 9, 11 Wed 11:00 - 11:50
Tutorial Offering 12 Week(s) - 4, 6, 9, 11 Wed 11:00 - 11:50
Tutorial Offering 13 Week(s) - 3, 5, 7, 10 Wed 12:00 - 12:50
Tutorial Offering 14 Week(s) - 4, 6, 9, 11 Wed 12:00 - 12:50
Tutorial Offering 15 Week(s) - 3, 5, 7, 10 Wed 14:00 - 14:50
Tutorial Offering 16 Week(s) - 4, 6, 9, 11 Wed 14:00 - 14:50
Tutorial Offering 17 Week(s) - 3, 5, 7, 10 Thurs 09:00 - 09:50
Tutorial Offering 18 Week(s) - 4, 6, 9, 11 Thurs 09:00 - 09:50
Tutorial Offering 20 Week(s) - 3, 5, 7, 10 Thurs 10:00 - 10:50
Tutorial Offering 21 Week(s) - 4, 6, 9, 11 Thurs 10:00 - 10:50
Tutorial Offering 22 Week(s) - 3, 5, 7, 10 Thurs 13:00 - 13:50
Tutorial Offering 23 Week(s) - 4, 6, 9, 11 Thurs 13:00 - 13:50
Autumn