Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Sarah Sorial
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Credit points |
Credit points
10
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
60cp including LAWS1000 or LAW115
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit is a philosophically-based introduction to law and legal thought. It has four main objectives. It aims to introduce students to the nature of the Australian legal system; to equip them to think in a theoretical and critical way about the nature of law and legal reasoning; to convey an understanding of some key legal concepts; and to assist them to draw on and apply these reflections in the context of some contemporary legal issues.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
1. Essay.
The word limit for this assignment is 1,500 words (footnotes and the bibliography are not included in the word limit). Students should adhere to AGLC4). Further details will be released once the course starts.
Late Assessment Submission Penalty
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue.
This late penalty will apply to non-timed sensitive assessment (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc). Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic.
2. Take Home Exam
Students will be required to answer four questions based on the materials weeks 7-12. Each answer is 500 words in length. Questions will be released on iLearn on Monday 31 October. Students will have 4 days to complete the assessment.
The word limit for this assignment is 2000 words. Footnotes and the bibliography are not included in the word limit. Students should abide by AGLC4.
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, late exams will not be accepted.
3. Quizzes
Class participation for this subject will be assessed by TWO multiple choice quizzes, to be attempted any time during week 6 and week 11. Each quiz will consist of 10 questions, each worth one mark. There is a total of 10 marks per quiz. You will have 15 minutes to complete the quiz from the time you open it.
The quiz is designed to test your comprehension of the texts set for study and your engagement with the course materials. If you attend classes each week, do the readings and listen to the lectures, the quizzes will be very straightforward.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Take home exam | 40% | No | Week 13, Thursday 3 November |
Quizzes | 20% | No | Week 6 & Week 11 |
Essay | 40% | No | Week 7 09/09/2022 |
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: Week 13, Thursday 3 November
Weighting: 40%
The take-home exam will test critical reasoning skills and comprehension of the set texts.
Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 1 hours
Due: Week 6 & Week 11
Weighting: 20%
Class participation for this subject will be assessed by TWO multiple choice quizzes, to be taken in your tutorial during weeks 6 and 11. Each quiz will have 10 questions, each worth one mark. There is a total of 10 marks per quiz. You will need to bring a device to class, such as a laptop or smart phone, so you can connect to the iLearn site. The quiz is designed to test your comprehension of the texts set for study and your engagement with the course materials. If you attend class each week, do the readings and listen to the lectures, the quizzes will be very straightforward.
Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: Week 7 09/09/2022
Weighting: 40%
This assignment will require comprehension and critical analysis of some key readings on the nature of law. .
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
The main textbook for this unit is: Denise Meyerson, Jurisprudence, Oxford University Press, 2011. All other reading material will be available from Leganto, which you can access via the iLearn site. All lectures will be available on ECHO360.
Week 1: Jurisprudence and the Nature of Law
Week 2: Law and Coercion
Week 3: Legal Positivism
Week 4: Natural Law Theories
Week 5: Law as Integrity
Week 6: Adjudication and the Nature of Law (Quiz 1)
Week 7: Realism and Critical Perspectives (Essay due Friday 9 September)
Semester Break: 12 - 25 September
Week 8: Difference
Week 9: Rights
Week 10: Freedom
Week 11: Inequality (Quiz 2)
Week 12: Civil Disobedience
Week 13: Take Home Exam (Due Thursday 3 November 2022).
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:
Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Unit information based on version 2022.04 of the Handbook