LL4057 - Criminal Law I (2026/27)
| Module specification | Module approved to run in 2026/27 | ||||||||||||
| Module title | Criminal Law I | ||||||||||||
| Module level | Certificate (04) | ||||||||||||
| Credit rating for module | 15 | ||||||||||||
| School | Guildhall School of Business and Law | ||||||||||||
| Total study hours | 150 | ||||||||||||
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| Running in 2026/27(Please note that module timeslots are subject to change) | No instances running in the year |
Module summary
Criminal Law I introduces you to the key principles of Criminal Law, one of the foundation subjects of English Law, as identified by the professional legal bodies, the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Bar Standards Board.
The module provides an academic introduction to the fundamental rules of criminal law, including the key principles of a number of criminal offences involving homicide. Criminal law affects many aspects of human behaviour and interaction but has complex definitions.
The aims of this module are as follows:
1. To help you to understand the changing landscape of criminal law as well as some of the major debates in the subject.
2. To teach and assess key skills of analysis, academic writing and legal research in the context of criminal law. It does this by emphasising the use of primary and secondary sources of criminal law, including court judgments, Acts of Parliament, Parliamentary Papers and academic journal articles.
3. You will enhance your employability by the development of these skills, and by the practice of written communication activities (including summative) and oral communication activities (formative only).
4. You will gain increasing confidence, self-efficacy and emotional resilience as a result of sharing your opinions and research with other students in tutorial activities and group work. This is in accordance with the Identity, Personalisation and Reflection aims of the ESJ.
This module supports graduate opportunity and employability by giving you key knowledge of a subject which is practised within the professional legal sector; and by giving you a host of transferable skills, including research, critical thinking and communication.
Syllabus
Characteristics of Criminal Law
• Burdens of proof
• Classification
• Overview of Human Rights Act 1998
Actus Reus
• Coincidence
• Omissions
• Causation
Mens Rea
• Intention
• Recklessness
• Negligence
• Gross negligence
• Strict liability
Offences
• Homicide
• Murder
• Voluntary manslaughter
• Involuntary manslaughter
• Criminal Damage
•Handling
• Blackmail
• Fraud
• Dishonest obtaining of services
• Making off without payment
Learning Outcomes 1, 2 and 3 pervade each of these subjects.
Balance of independent study and scheduled teaching activity
Learning & Teaching Strategy
Weekly two-hour lecture and one-hour seminar.
The lecture will be used for:
• Dissemination of knowledge through an overview of each topic with detailed guidance on appropriate aspects;
• An introduction to relevant academic literature;
• Guidance on learning strategies;
• Use of WebLearn and IT resources;
• Whole group questions and discussion.
The seminar will be used for the development of skills necessary to attain the module learning outcomes through:
• Written and oral questions/answers designed to reinforce fundamental rules, principles and cases;
• A range of step-by-step analytical exercises;
• Problem solving;
• IT tasks, such as research of cases and statutes;
• Legal writing;
• Oral presentation;
• Oral communication;
• Teamwork.
Blended Learning
All learning materials, previous examination questions and sample Q/A’s will be on blackboard for use in directed private study.
Student engagement will be encouraged in both lectures and seminars through weekly use of WebLearn for access to all of the above materials.
There will be required use of the professional legal databases, especially Westlaw and Lexis Library, for legal research.
Opportunities for reflective learning/pdp
Each weekly seminar will contain space for students to reflect on what they have learnt in relation to the overall syllabus. There will be frequent feedback opportunities structured into the timetable and a range of sample answers posted onto WebLearn.
Employability
Employability strategy will aim to acquaint students with a range of employment avenues both in the legal profession and in those professions into which legal qualifications and skills are transferable.
Student’s Study Responsibilities
The need for attendance, punctuality, preparation and engagement will be emphasised with particular reference to written and IT research, problem-solving, team-work, discussion, debate and critical awareness of the subject.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module, you will be able to:
1. Demonstrate a basic knowledge of some of the fundamental principles and characteristics of criminal law.
2. Demonstrate the ability to discuss case study problems.
3. Demonstrate the ability to write discursive essays relating to the topics covered in the syllabus.
Bibliography
Reading list
Clarkson and Keating criminal law: text and material
By Sally Kyd; Daniel Bansal; T. Elliott; Mark Austin Walters; C. M. V. Clarkson; Heather M. Keating
202411th edition
ore rea
Criminal law
by William Wilson; Laura Lammasniemi
2024, 8th edition
Complete criminal law: text, cases and materials
by Janet Loveless; Mischa Allen; Caroline Derry
2025, 9th edition
ADDITIONAL READING
Criminal law
by M. J. Allen
2024, 17th edition
Clarkson and Keating criminal law: text and materials
by Sally Kyd; Daniel Bansal; T. Elliott; Mark Austin Walters; C. M. V. Clarkson; Heather M. Keating
2024, 11th edition
Blackstone's statutes on criminal law: [2025-2026]
edited by Matthew Dyson
2025,35th edition
Criminal law
by Jonathan Herring
2025, 14th edition
Smith, Hogan and Ormerod's criminal law
by D. C. Ormerod; Karl Laird; Matthew Gibson, 2024, 17th edition
DATABASES
Westlaw Edge UK
Lexis+ UK