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LL.M. HANDBOOK 2011-2012As you will be aware, the LLM degree is not an introduction to the common law, nor is ittaught at the same level as an undergraduate course. It is an advanced degree in law,which provides courses on specialist topics. The advanced nature of the LLM degree isreflected in the fact that every course in the programme is a dedicated LLM course,designed and taught with postgraduate students in mind. It is therefore not possible forstudents to offer papers from the Cambridge undergraduate curriculum in the LLMexamination.4. EXPECTATIONSDifferent subjects, and different lecturers, will inevitably place different demands upon you.However, below are some general indications of what will be expected of you:‣ You should work independentlyThe lectures and classes are the framework for the course, but they are only the startingpoint for your own investigations into the material which they cover. You will be expected toread extensively in your own time and to work through the assigned material on your owninitiative, in tandem with the lectures. The LLM is a ‘taught’ course but students areexpected to take responsibility for their own learning through independent study.The importance attached to independent study at Cambridge is reflected in the design ofthe academic year, with the relatively long Christmas and Easter vacations intended asperiods of personal research and reflection. Formal instruction in many courses finishes atthe end of Lent Term, or early in Easter Term because the lecture courses are regardedmerely as the starting point for a student’s own consideration of the material. Vacationperiods, and the period between the end of lectures and the start of the examinations,should be regarded as integral and important parts of the course as well as opportunities forrevision.‣ You should use primary sourcesMuch of what you learn in the courses you take will be derived from analysis of primarysources, especially from decided cases and legislation. The techniques of statutoryinterpretation, the art of reconciling and distinguishing cases, and the ability to conductindependent legal research, are essential tools in learning the law. This is why, althoughmany lecturers may provide you with some photocopied reading materials, they are unlikelyto supply materials which are easily accessible in the Squire Library. It is thereforeessential that you should learn to make effective and independent use of the Squire Library.‣ You should think criticallyYou will be expected to adopt a critical, reflective approach in your work. The lecturers willnot expect you to accept their view of the material unquestioningly, nor that of any particularcommentator or judge. Their expectation is that you will read and assess the availablematerial to form your own opinions, and, where appropriate, that you will criticise the viewsexpressed by others. Certainly, the purpose of the examinations is not to test yourfamiliarity with what you were told in lectures, or with any single textbook, but your personalknowledge and understanding of the subject. This is not to say that you are expected totake an entirely original view of the subject, but your view (original or otherwise) should atleast have been formed independently.10