Each student will be allocated six readings by the second week of December 2014.They will be required to write critiques of these readings and bring them to the on campus session. From these allocated readings the tutor will choose randomly the critiques that each student will present to the class at the on campus session. All other students will be expected to respond to the presentation and the presenter will have the opportunity of reworking these critiques and submit them as their Short essay assignment.

Reading the prescribed texts and preparation of questions/readings for class discussions at the OCS (Internal and Distance Students). 

Assessment Criteria

Your work will be assessed according the extent of your:

Excellent

= HD-D

Good

= Credit

Satisfactory

= Pass

Unsatisfactory

= Fail

Preparation for class discussion as demonstrated by relevance of participation to general discussion

Has the capacity to notice important information in the readings and use it to build new arguments in class discussion

 Uses information in the readings to enhance learning in the class discussion

 Notices basic contextual issues and asks questions

 Fails to identify important information in readings and their relevance to discussion in class

Understanding and expressing abstract and complex ideas orally

 Can generalise from personal reflection on theoretical ideas or real life and evaluate the efficacy of ideas from a number of standpoints

 Can synthesise a number of concepts or factors into a larger idea and construct own position.

Limited capacity to synthesise a number ideas into a larger argument

Responses remain anecdotal and not related to other theoretical ideas

Assisting other class members by contributing to student learning

Willing to share novel insights with others

Supports other members' views but not necessarily adopt them

 Listens to other views but does not integrate in discussion

 Does not manage to see another point of view

Expressing and countering arguments orally

Articulates a personal position, but is willing to modify it if persuaded by others

Prioritizes the need for compromise in decision- making rather than formulating opinions

Identifies different viewpoints but tends to follow majority viewpoint

 Has difficulty formulating own opinion or relating to another’s opinion

Listening attentively and showing respect to other students participating in class

Independent thinker, takes initiative as well as co-operating effectively with others

 Relates professionally to colleagues. Makes effective contributions to the discussion

Attempts to relate to colleagues 

Does not make an effort to relate to colleagues 

Each student will be assigned three readings by the tutor. You must write critiques of these readings and include in each critique a short summary of the argument made by the author. Assess whether the author has been able to accomplish what they set out to do. Do you agree or disagree with the argument and how it has been developed.

Maximum word length: 500 words for each critique (total word length 1500 words).

All assignments should be typed double spaced in 12pt Times New Roman. All assignments should be submitted through the turnitin icon on the ilearn page of this unit.

Assessment Criteria

Take Home Exam will be issued on 28th January 2015. It will be posted on the iLearn page of the unit. The completed test must be returned by 5pm 30th January 2015.

Maximum word length: 4000 words

All assignments should be submitted through the Turnitin link provided on the unit's iLearn page

Assessment Criteria

Your work will be assessed according to the extent of your:

Excellent

= HD-D

Good

= Credit

Satisfactory

= Pass

Unsatisfactory

= Fail

Knowledge of the various ideas about the nature of law

 Thorough and accurate understanding of concepts and processes of law. Uses this knowledge to abstract principles and applies them in novel situations. Uses concepts to build new knowledge and understanding. Recognises the limitations of current theories about them.

 Thorough and accurate understanding of concepts and theories of law and can analyse and apply them in new situations.

 Knows basic concepts and can use them to solve problems and extend to new areas

 Knows a few

Introduction: 

Uses the introduction to formulate a clear argument, identify parts of the argument, relevant issues and theories that will be addressed. Recognises the limitations of current thinking and the need for new ways of thinking.

Can formulate an argument, and identify relevant issues and theories to be addressed. 

Basic introduction that contains all the formal elements but stops short of giving a clear picture of the essay. 

Formal introduction with not a clear articulation of the argument or structure of the essay. 

Depth of analysis: 

 Uses principles to formulate a position or an argument about the literature. Can articulate the limited nature of their argument and can challenge to boundaries of disciplinary understanding.

 Recognises competing explanations and can identify the relative merits and limitations of an argument. Can describe and defend their own view or position.  

Mostly reports others' views without assessing them. Little interpretation or translation to a new problem or issue. 

 Descriptive account of the available literature without any or very little analysis.

Argument:  

 Uses available ideas and theories accurately. Abstracts and applies them in novel situations. Uses concepts to build new knowledge and understanding. Recognises the limitations of current thinking.

 Shows a thorough and accurate understanding of concepts and processes. Has the capacity to analyse and apply them in new situations. 

 Knows basic concepts and rules. Requires more effort in synthesizing own arguments.

  Knows some of the ideas and rules. Does not extend own analysis or argument

Coherent Structure: 

 Meets all expectations and conventions. Systematic and coherent organisation of ideas in sentences/paragraphs/sections. Distinctive personal style in the specific execution of the task. A unique but appropriate presentation of work.

 Fulfills standard conventions with all expected attributes present. Some translation and interpretation of the conventions to suit personal style and the specific execution of the task. 

 Fulfills basic expectations regarding the formatting and presentation of work. E.g., titles name on work, introduction, conclusion. Spell checked & grammatically correct.

  Lacks a coherent structure of argument, organization of ideas into different sections, fails to use spell checker, some sentences fail to use correct grammatical rules.

·        

Use of AGLC Style Guide for footnotes and bibliography

 References and citations, including the bibliography use accurate, consistent and appropriate styles. Good effort at adapting the approach to different disciplinary conventions when using non-law literature.

References and citations, including the bibliography are accurate, consistent and appropriate. 

References and citations are basically accurate in style. Occasional lack of consistency; reasonable acknowledgment of the sources of information.

 Absence or inaccurate use of referencing and citation conventions.