University offers "space-law" degree (From The Northern Echo)

University offers "space-law" degree

2:10pm Saturday 13th March 2010 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
• Comments(0)

A NORTH-EAST university is boldly going where no British university has gone before by offering a degree in space law.

The University of Sunderland will launch the course in September.

Students will look at the law relating to space activities and outer space.

Topics will include journeys into space by individuals, the militarisation of space and the expanding privatisation of the space sector.

It will also look at issues such as problems concerning debris from space vehicles damaging property and the legal aspects of buying lunar real estate.

Viv Kinnaird, dean of the faculty of business and law at the University of Sunderland, said: "Our law degree already attracts huge praise for the quality of its teaching and the outstanding experience students enjoy. "The space law module illustrates our commitment to deliver a distinctive law degree.

"It is a fascinating topic which many students will benefit from studying. Their motivation and engagement, in our experience, translates directly into positive results."

The subject will be taught by lecturer Ben Middleton.

He said: "It's great that Sunderland is leading the way in the UK for space law as part of an undergraduate law degree. We expect it to be an extremely popular module."