Online LLM Law

Entering third-level education is exciting; but it can also be a daunting experience. At ARU, we want all students to make the most of the opportunities Higher Education provides, so they reach their potential, become lifelong learners, and find fulfilling careers. However, we appreciate that the shift from secondary education, or a return to formal education is quite a journey.

This module is designed to ease that transition. You’ll be enrolled on it as soon as you receive an offer from ARU so you can begin to learn about university life before your course starts. Through Into ARU, you will explore a virtual land modelled around ARU values: Courage, Innovation, Community, Integrity, Responsibility, and Ambition. This innovative module is designed as a game, where you collect knowledge and complete various mini tasks. You’ll proceed at your own pace, though we expect all students to have completed their ‘Into ARU’ exploration by week 6.

Students who, for whatever reason, are unable to complete by that date, will be signposted to existing services so that we can be confident that they are supported.

In this module, you will examine the legal, ethical, and regulatory challenges presented by the development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI). You will explore how AI is transforming decision-making, governance, and accountability across sectors, and assess the adequacy of existing legal frameworks in responding to these changes.

You'll engage with international and regional approaches to AI regulation, including emerging frameworks in the UK, the European Union, and beyond. Ethical issues such as bias, transparency, discrimination, privacy, and human rights will be central to your analysis. The module will also consider the responsibilities of states, corporations, and developers in designing and deploying AI systems responsibly. ​

By the end of the module, you will be able to critically evaluate the complex interactions between technology, law, and ethics, and apply your understanding to the governance of AI in contemporary and future contexts.

In this module, you will explore current and emerging challenges at the intersection of international human rights and criminal justice. You will examine how international, regional, and domestic systems respond to complex issues such as conflict, terrorism, migration, digital surveillance, environmental harm, and gender-based violence.

You will critically evaluate the effectiveness, legitimacy, and accountability of international courts, tribunals, and enforcement mechanisms, while considering the political, cultural, and ethical factors that shape justice and human rights in practice. Through case studies, debates, and research-led discussions, you will engage with real-world examples that illustrate the tensions between state sovereignty, global governance, and universal human rights principles.

By the end of the module, you will be able to analyse and apply advanced legal and theoretical frameworks to contemporary global justice problems, reflect critically on the operation of international justice mechanisms, and formulate informed, evidence-based perspectives on how human rights and criminal justice can adapt to future challenges.

In this module, you will explore the legal and institutional frameworks that underpin global and national efforts to protect the environment and promote sustainable development. You will examine how environmental law interacts with governance processes, policy-making, and ethical principles to address complex environmental challenges such as pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change.

You will critically evaluate the principles and instruments of environmental law, including prevention, precaution, and sustainable development, and assess their effectiveness in practice. The module will consider the roles of states, corporations, international organisations, and civil society in shaping environmental outcomes, as well as the tensions between economic growth, environmental protection, and social justice.

By the end of the module, you will be able to analyse and apply environmental legal principles to governance contexts, assess the effectiveness of regulatory and policy responses, and formulate informed, justice-oriented perspectives on reform and sustainability.

Anyone representing clients with commercial interests in more than one jurisdiction should possess a good understanding of commercial law in international practice referred to as international or transnational commercial law. As international commerce has developed, increasingly more international efforts have been made towards harmonising the law relating to international commerce.

This is done in the belief that harmonisation is more beneficial than reliance on a single national law. Consequently, several different types of international instruments developed, comprising conventions, model laws, legislative guides, codifications of trade usages and practices and restatements of law governing various aspects of international commercial law and practice.

The aim of this module is to develop your understanding of what drives international commercial law, the reasons for harmonisation, to examine the institutions involved in the harmonisation process as well as the scope of the harmonisation processes and the major problems and policy issues which must be confronted. The purpose of this module is not, therefore, to study the detailed substantive law relating to any specific aspects of international commercial law although several substantive areas of law will be covered in outline.

The purpose of the module is to establish a conceptual framework enabling you to understand the scale, scope, and purpose of harmonisation of international commercial law and to critically evaluate the success of key international instruments.

Even though the module will cover some international instruments, which you may already have studied in other modules (for example the Vienna Sales Convention), these instruments will be studied from a perspective of the need, purpose and success or failure of harmonisation of international commercial law.

Understanding commercial contracts is an essential tool for those seeking to become involved in international commercial practice or those seeking to understand commercial practice with an international element. A study of the law governing commercial contracts in their business context involves aspects of contract law, commercial law and will involve basic analysis of e-commerce although no previous knowledge of computer programming is required.

English law is particularly suitable to govern international commercial contracts, it is therefore important to understand how English law approaches the issue of commercial contracting.

The module will also use comparative law method to look at transnational law to establish and critically evaluate the differences in rules governing commercial contracts in English law, other national laws, and international instruments such as the UN convention or International Sale of Goods and UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts.

The module examines several important themes, in particular, legal issues that relate to the contract formation (requirements for formation, comparing types of contractual arrangements); specifications and key performance indicators that are included in contractual arrangements and the key clauses that are included in formal contracts.

Focus will be on the contracts for sales of goods (offline and online) as this is the basis of international commercial contracting. The aim of this module is to develop critical understanding of key theoretical concepts through their application in practical scenarios.

The module provides an analytical framework within which international trade transactions take place across differing jurisdictions. There is consideration of international sales contracts, carriage of goods by sea and financing of international trade. The legal and commercial rules governing specific trade contracts and accompanying documentation will be examined in the context of English common law, as well as in the context of international rules and conventions concerning international trade.

The different methods of financing international trade will also be considered. There is also analysis of the rights and duties of carriers of goods. You will have the opportunity to develop the application of these rules through practical problem solving, demonstrating your ability to apply your knowledge and understanding of your discipline in an original and creative way. You will also be expected to evaluate and critically analyse current legal doctrine and demonstrate advanced legal scholarship.

Throughout this module you will be exposed to and be expected to contribute to a range of skills building activities that underpin your employability. These range from the development of team working activities, communication skills both written and verbal, logical reasoning and the ability to undertake independent research. Criticality is introduced immediately within the module and will be sustained through both formative and summative assessment.

The module contributes particularly to complex and creative problem-solving skills and the ability to engage in systematic, conceptual and critical analysis and synthesis of primary and secondary source materials. This module is especially relevant to all students attracted to business, professional or commercial careers, as well as students hoping to work as commercial lawyers.

This module will provide you with a critical knowledge and understanding of research skills, methods and methodology, including surveys, questionnaires, statistical analysis, interviews, in addition to bibliographical research methods in law. This module includes hands-on training on how to access reliable materials both through the University library and from other reliable sources and databases.

Further, this module will discuss learning and teaching styles; academic expectations and learning strategies. This is particularly important for students with a multitude of prior learning experiences. Teaching is informed by active learning pedagogies and organised via practical workshops, hands-on library sessions and E-learning, all providing grounding in the various research methods and techniques.

The workshops will focus upon selected topics in International Business and Commercial Law, to which you are required to analyse and apply appropriate methodological skills. The module contributes particularly to research and analytical and critical thinking skills, which are transferable skills highly valued by employers. Understanding of advantages and disadvantages of legal research methods will be beneficial not only when designing and writing your Postgraduate Major Project (LLM dissertation), but also when you carry out research in future career or business planning.

This module will develop your cultural awareness when conducting research, including how to identify and address research ethics considerations (and follow the relevant procedures) for their Postgraduate Major Project (LLM dissertation), as required by the University and international research associations and societies.

During the module, you will be able to build and enhance social networks and relations with your peers, tutors and law librarians. This will be done via designated class team working activities, tasks to enhance your face-to-face and digital professional oral and written communication skills, and when researching the leading scholars for your Postgraduate Major Project (LLM dissertation)

The Postgraduate Legal Reform and Strategic Analysis Project represent the culmination of your Master’s degree and provides an opportunity to undertake a substantial independent project within your chosen area of law. You will identify a legal, regulatory, policy, or socio-legal challenge requiring reform and undertake a substantial independent project. Through this process, you will develop and demonstrate advanced legal research, strategic analysis, project management, professional judgement, problem-solving, and independent working skills relevant to professional practice, policy development, leadership, and research-focused careers.

You'll investigate the effectiveness of existing legal and regulatory frameworks, analyse competing stakeholder interests and perspectives, evaluate alternative approaches to reform, and assess issues of implementation, impact, and feasibility. Through advanced legal research and strategic analysis, you will engage critically with contemporary legal scholarship, policy developments, regulatory frameworks, and professional practice issues.

You'll critically evaluate the wider social, ethical, environmental, and governance implications of legal frameworks and reform proposals where relevant to your chosen topic. You'll develop and justify evidence-based recommendations for reform, demonstrating professional judgement, intellectual independence, and an awareness of their practical implications for individuals, organisations, communities, and wider society.

Alongside the project, you will critically reflect on your learning and development throughout the research process. You'll evaluate the knowledge, skills, and competencies developed, consider the potential impact of your findings and recommendations, and identify opportunities for future research, development, or reform arising from your work.

The Elevate: Advanced Critical Legal Thinking and Communication module provides an opportunity to communicate, critically evaluate, and defend a substantial research enquiry within your chosen area of law. Running alongside the Postgraduate Legal Reform and Strategic Analysis Project, the module enables you to articulate and justify the rationale, methodology, analysis, and recommendations underpinning your research while engaging with scholarly debate, constructive challenge, and professional scrutiny.

The module develops advanced communication, persuasion, advocacy, critical evaluation, and professional judgement skills through conference-style presentations and professional discussion. You will communicate complex legal, policy, and interdisciplinary ideas, synthesise evidence from multiple sources, evaluate competing perspectives, and demonstrate advanced legal reasoning.

The module explores the role of scrutiny, debate, and peer review in the development and validation of legal knowledge. It examines how legal arguments, research findings, and reform proposals are tested, challenged, defended, and refined through critical engagement and evidence-based evaluation. Emphasis is placed on justifying research decisions, defending recommendations, responding to challenge, and evaluating alternative approaches to legal, regulatory, policy, and socio-legal reform.

By the end of the module, you will have strengthened your ability to communicate and defend complex legal arguments, research findings, and recommendations, while demonstrating confidence in responding to challenge, critique and competing perspectives.