Classes:

• Students will attend one lecture (time allotted 2 hours) and one tutorial (time alloted one hour) each week. Lectures begin in Week 1 whilst Tutorials begin in Week 2.
• A library tutorial will be conducted by library staff in week four – details will be provided in week 2.
• The sequencing of the lecture program and unit content will allow you to develop your understanding of the law as the unit progresses. Note that together with the designated practice / tutorial questions, the tutorials may cover other issues relevant to the unit.
• The timetable for classes can be found on the university website at: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au
• Students must remain in their allocated tutorials.
• Attendance at all lectures and tutorials is compulsory. Required reading for each week’s lecture and tutorial is clearly set out in the Lecture and Tutorial Schedules on iLearn, and students are expected to be fully prepared in advance. Attendance at the library tutorial is also compulsory.
• Week 13 Public Holiday: As Week 13 has a public holiday on Monday this year, students who have tutorials scheduled for that day who wish to discuss their final assessment tasks (which are due later in Week 13) with their tutor should attend tutorials on the Tuesday of that week. Alternatively, the course convenor will hold an additional contact hour on the Tuesday of that week 13 for any students unable to attend another tutorial. No tutorial participation marks will be deducted from students who are unable to attend their Week 13 tutorial due to that Monday public holiday.

Prizes:

There is a prize for the most successful student in this unit. See: http://www.businessandeconomics.mq.edu.au/undergraduate_degrees/prizes_scholarships

Required and Recommended Texts and/or Materials

• Connecting  with  Law  (2nd   Edition):  Michelle Sanson, Thalia Anthony and David Worswick, (2010) ISBN:9780195572407 - available from the Co-Op Bookshop and also available to be borrowed from the Macquarie University library
• Additional readings will be uploaded to iLearn.

Useful websites:

• AustLII: http://www.austlii.edu.au
• Australian Parliament House: http://www.aph.gov.au

Technology Used and Required:

• Students must be familiar with the learning management system ilearn.

• Students need to have knowledge about accessing electronic research databases from the Macquarie University Library's website, textbooks, newspapers and the Internet. Students are required to attend a library training tutorial during the semester.

• Students are required to conduct their own research.

• Lectures and tutorials may make use of Powerpoint, videos and visualisers.

Unit Web Page:

• Unit material is available on the learning management system (iLearn)
• There is a web page for this unit.

Learning and Teaching Activities:

• This unit is taught by way of lectures and tutorials. Practice questions are discussed to enable application of content.

What is expected of students: Criteria for Success

• Students should take responsibility for their own learning and this will incorporate reading as required, attendance at lectures and tutorials, developing effective study strategies, reflection on their abilities, and a task-oriented approach to assessment. That is, do not think solely about gathering information, think also about: what will be required; what makes for successful performance in quizzes and assignments; how you will use the law that you have studied. As this unit is both an introduction to legal content and a skills-based unit, you should undertake additional practice of applying the skills that you learn (such as interpreting legislation, reading case decisions, etc) outside of scheduled class time.

Changes to the Unit from Last Session:

The questions and exercises set for a number of the tutorials have changed.

The jurisprudence lecture of this unit includes discussion of legal theories applied in research undertaken and published by the unit convenor.

The final assessment task in this unit will require you to analyse a cutting-edge legal decision about which few, if any, legal scholars will have written at the time.

Interested students can pursue further research (not a compulsory requirement of this unit) into any of the areas of this unit via the various scholarly journals available in print and (particularly) electronic formats through the Macquarie University Library.