LW3LT: Law and Technology

Module code: LW3LT

Module provider: School of Law

Credits: 20

ECTS credits: 10

Level: 6

When you’ll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Tsvetelina Van Benthem, email: t.j.vanbenthem@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2026/7

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 26 March 2026

Overview

Module aims and purpose

New and emerging technologies are reshaping the world we live in: our interactions with other individuals, corporations and states, our health, work and private life, the security threats we face. This module will explore the relationship between law and technology, and the role law plays – and can play – in enabling technological development while protecting persons and societies from harm.

The module combines high-level topics of legal regulation with specific case studies. On the former, the module will enable students to explore different levels of legal regulation – domestic, regional and international – in their dynamic interplay, and to analyse how different actors – states, international organisations, corporations, non-governmental organisations and individuals – interact to shape the content of the law. On the latter, the module will address specific case studies, such as ransomware and cyber operations against critical infrastructure, surveillance, data protection and privacy, the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in transportation and contracts, and military and outer space uses of AI. In this way, the module provides a meaningful bridge between theory and practice and prepares students for real-life applications of legal thinking to new technologies. It also offers key interdisciplinary perspectives.

The module will be delivered by experts in the field of law and technology. As part of the course, the students will hear from technical experts in the fields of AI and cybersecurity, to enable a baseline understanding of technical concepts underpinning the module. The course will also feature guest lectures from representatives of states and the private sector involved in inter-governmental and multi-stakeholder processes on the legal regulation of technology.

In addition to analysing what the law is, the students will be asked to reflect on what the law can and should be. Class discussions will therefore address the limitations of existing legal rules and the processes through which the law can change. The aim is to equip the students will the tools to not only analyse existing law, but also contribute towards its adaptation to meet the needs of the modern world.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the interaction between domestic, regional and international law in the field of new and emerging technologies.
2. Analyse contemporary questions of legal regulation of new and emerging technologies, such as cyber-enabled crimes, data protection and military uses of AI, and critically evaluate the limitations of existing legal protections.
3. Understand the ways in which discrete areas of law and technology overlap and interact, and formulate a coherent and holistic picture of the landscape of legal regulation.
4. Apply theory to practice through concrete case studies, developing practical legal knowledge and skills.
5. Demonstrate critical legal writing and research skills, and communicate legal analysis effectively in different contexts and to different audiences. 

Module content

The module will provide an in-depth exploration of the legal regulation of new and emerging technologies. The content is structured around four thematic clusters:

1. A landscape of legal regulation of technology: domestic, regional and international law approaches
2. Information and communications technologies 
3. AI 
4. Pathways for future regulation

Specific topics may include the regulation of cyber operations against critical infrastructure as cybercrimes and violations of state sovereignty, digital surveillance and digital indoctrination under human rights law, military uses of AI under international humanitarian law, the domestic regulation of AI in transportation and contracts.

The precise topics taught may vary each year, depending on the most topical issues in the area.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module is delivered through lectures and seminars. The seminars will be interactive and require preparation to enable full participation in class discussions.

Study hours

At least 32 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each calendar day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three calendar days;
• where the piece of work is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in you Individual Learning Plan), the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three calendar days of the deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

Where a piece of work is submitted late after a deadline which has been revised owing to an extension granted through the Assessment Adjustments policy and process (self-certified or otherwise), it will be subject to the maximum penalty (i.e., considered to be more than three calendar days late). This will also apply when such an extension is used in conjunction with a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

A 1,000-word written work on a problem question, applying specific legal rules to a fictional fact pattern (in preparation for the written coursework assignment, weighted 50% of module). 

Reassessment

Additional costs