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LAW30160

Academic Year 2026/2027

Evidence - Practice and Principles (LAW30160)

Subject:
Law
College:
Social Sciences & Law
School:
Law
Level:
3 (Degree)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Assoc Professor Mark Coen
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This is the second of two modules examining the rules that regulate the admission of evidence in a court of law. This course builds on the "Evidence - Foundations" module and focuses on advanced topics within the Law of Evidence. The module begins with a detailed consideration of the role of the judge, her place in the trial and her capacity to influence the trial. Evidence perceived to have a particular risk of unreliability (identification evidence and accomplice evidence) is then discussed, before examining specific evidentiary rules arising in sexual cases. The second half of the module involves detailed consideration of the rules relating to hearsay, bad character evidence and privilege.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:


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

• Provide a detailed account of the rules of Evidence covered in the module
• Identify trends in the Irish Law of Evidence
• Engage with critiques of the Irish Law of Evidence
• Suggest and appraise reforms of the law covered in the module.
• Apply the Law of Evidence to hypothetical factual scenarios

Indicative Module Content:

Among the topics that will be covered are the role of the judge in a criminal trial, character evidence, hearsay, unreliable evidence and sexual offences trials.

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Autonomous Student Learning

94
Lectures

24
Total

118

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

Students on this module are expected to have read and understood the UCD Academic Integrity Policy and the School Protocol on Academic Integrity. Students must ensure that they comply with all requirements laid down therein and avoid academic misconduct. Students are not permitted to use generative artificial intelligence, or other machine learning technology, in their learning on this module. Because this module is assessed by an unseen, invigilated examination, no formal citation methodology is prescribed.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Co-requisite:
LAW30070 - Evidence - Foundations

Incompatibles:
LAW41860 - Advanced Evidence 2

Equivalents:
Evidence II (LAW37160)


 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade Component repeat (in-module) Offered
Exam (In-person): 2 hour closed book examination End of trimester
Duration:
2 hr(s)
 Graded No
100
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn 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

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

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. 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.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 11:00 - 12:50
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