School of Law

Introducing Law

Dean of School: Fiona Fairweather

The UEL School of Law has a distinct and vibrant identity, with a commitment to critical, contemporary education from a cross-cultural and international perspective. It is a fast-growing School with over 1,000 students currently enrolled and has a maturing research profile and sensitivity to issues of ethnicity, gender and class. The School has a portfolio of courses that reflect both this unique character and offer a coherent, exciting and wide-ranging intellectual experience.

It has successfully taught its undergraduate degree in law ( LLB ) for over thirty years and has well-established Master's programmes ( LLM ), on a modular basis in International Legal Studies,International Human Rights, International Law and the World Economy, International Law and Criminal Justice, and Islamic and Middle East Studies and the MSc Terrorism Studies. The School also offers Criminology and has a very successful BA in Criminology and Criminal Justice*.

East London itself is a centre of spectacular economic regeneration, particularly in the Docklands development, with an expanding creative sector alongside IT, manufacturing and financial services industries. It is one of the few areas of London with an increasing population, fuelling the urban renaissance and the maintenance of London as a world city. In this context the ethnic and cultural diversity of East London 's local communities is perhaps its greatest asset. The shift away from traditional economies to the new is accompanied by enhanced transport links both within the city, to other urban centres and globally. New outlets for the arts, particularly in Stratford , have opened in the past few years or are under construction. The University of East London and its Law School are an integral part of this renewal. We aim to meet the educational needs of those who work in existing industries, many of whom live in the locality, while providing the expertise for those involved in new ventures and retaining an academic impetus which stretches outside the immediate geographical area.

Highly successful Erasmus/Socrates schemes, involving student exchanges with partnership institutions in Europe, have provided many participants with a challenging and exciting addition to their degree programmes. The presence of students from other institutions in Europe within the School is a source of further enrichment in teaching and learning. Guest lecturers are a regular part of the life of the School.

Undergraduate studies at the Law School are supported by strength and depth in research amongst the staff group. The School has a vigorous collaborative research culture and some of its researchers have achieved individual international or national reputations, most obviously demonstrated by invitations to speak at international conferences and deliver keynote speeches and guest lectures at other universities. Areas of sustained interest include: human rights, Middle Eastern studies, International Law, feminist theory, Islamic law, critical race theory, youth justice and terrorism studies.

The School considers the employability of its graduates to be of major importance and to this end has its own Employability Manager to give specialist careers advice.

As East London continues its process of renewal, and as the public and private sectors increasingly rely upon lifelong learners, the School is well placed to provide a rewarding education to both graduates and postgraduates from diverse backgrounds. We aim to offer people from the local community and beyond the possibility of recognising their own abilities, gaining a real stake in society, and the opportunity to play a full role in the knowledge economy of the 21 st Century.

UEL HOMESEARCH UEL