Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convenor
George Tomossy
Contact via iLearn
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Credit points |
Credit points
10
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to LLB
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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 will enable students to attain the key legal skills (legal research, reasoning, and writing; applying precedent; statutory interpretation; and legal problem solving) and to acquire the foundational legal knowledge (Australia legal institutions; legal theory; comparative legal systems; parliamentary process; role of the judiciary) necessary for further study in law. This unit will challenge students to apply their skills and knowledge to examine a contemporary socio-legal issue through a collaborative group project. Students will also engage in reflective practice. |
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:
Further instructions for each assessment task are available on the unit's iLearn page.
Students are advised that all assessments in this unit are 'hurdle' assessments, which means that each assessment task must be completed at a Satisfactory level (to the standard prescribed for each assessment task) in order to pass this unit as follows:
The deadline for submission of supplementary work where students have failed to demonstrate learning outcomes to achieve a hurdle requirement will be two weeks following the 'due date' deadline for online quizzes (Tasks 1, 3 and 6) and from the return of written work (Task 2). Students who fail to achieve a satisfactory result for Tasks 4 and/or 5 will receive instructions on supplementary at the end of the teaching period.
In cases where students fail to complete one assessment task at a Satisfactory level (provided that they have made genuine attempts at both initial and supplementary work on that task), the Convenor may provide one further opportunity to reattempt the task or carry out supplementary work in order to achieve the required learning outcome(s). The Convenor will base this decision on a review of the student's work across the unit in consultation with the student's tutor(s) and/or marker(s) at the end of the teaching period.
Please note that, consistent with the Faculty of Arts Late Assessment Submission Penalty Policy (see below), no late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests. Please note that this rule applies to the due date of applicable assessment tasks; the rule does not apply to a subsequent deadline prescribed for an assessment task for the purpose of completing supplementary work or re-attempts of online quizzes in order to satisfy hurdle requirements.
This unit is ungraded and will not count towards a student's LAWS WAM (Weighted Average Mark in LAWS units) . Students will be awarded 'Satisfactory' or 'Fail' at the end of the unit.
Late Assessment Submission Penalty (Faculty of Arts)
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.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
---|---|---|---|
Academic Integrity and Referencing Quiz | 10% | Yes | 7/08/2022 23:55 |
Core Skills Assignment | 40% | Yes | 21/08/2022 23:55 |
Legal Research Quizzes | 15% | Yes | 04/09/2022 23:55 |
Law and Policy Reform Report | 10% | Yes | 02/10/2022 23:55 |
Group Presentations | 5% | Yes | Weeks 9-13 (in tutorial) |
Foundations Quiz | 20% | Yes | Open from: 23/10/22 23:55 to 6/11/22 23:55 |
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 5 hours
Due: 7/08/2022 23:55
Weighting: 10%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)
Two online multiple choice quizzes in which students will demonstrate their ability to apply principles of academic integrity and rules for correct legal citation.
Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: 21/08/2022 23:55
Weighting: 40%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)
Consists of a short assignment (max 1,500 words, excluding footnotes) submitted online in which students will analyse and interpret primary legal sources (case law and legislation).
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 04/09/2022 23:55
Weighting: 15%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)
Consists of five (5) online multiple choice quizzes where students will demonstrate their ability to carry out legal research using online databases, library and internet sources.
Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 02/10/2022 23:55
Weighting: 10%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)
Consists of a group report in which students aim to develop recommendations for legal and policy reform to address a contemporary socio-legal problem.
Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 5 hours
Due: Weeks 9-13 (in tutorial)
Weighting: 5%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)
Consists of a group presentation (of findings reported in the Law and Policy Reform Report) and contribution to Q&A sessions from other presentations.
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Open from: 23/10/22 23:55 to 6/11/22 23:55
Weighting: 20%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)
This timed online quiz requires students to demonstrate their understanding of foundational concepts necessary for further study in law attained derived from lectures and readings throughout the unit.
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
All Lectures for this unit are pre-recorded and can be accessed via the unit iLearn page.
Tutorials will be conducted face-to-face and/or online (via Zoom), commence in Week 1 and conclude in Week 13. Students should consult the official Timetable for class times, dates and locations (if face-to-face) and mode of delivery at a specified time at: http://timetables.mq.edu.au Instructions for online tutorials via Zoom will be provided on the unit's iLearn page.
Online content for this unit can be accessed at http://ilearn.mq.edu.au
Required Textbooks:
Additional required and recommended reading materials will be posted at the unit’s iLearn page.
Computer and Internet access are required in order to successfully complete this unit. Basic computer skills (e.g., internet browsing) and skills in word processing are also a requirement.
Week # |
Topics Covered |
1 |
Welcome and Overview; Academic Honesty; Legal Citation |
2 |
Common Law and Equity; Statutory Interpretation |
3 |
The Australian Constitution and Separation of Powers; Briefing Cases |
4 |
Judicial Reasoning and the Doctrine of Precedent; Legal Problem Solving |
5 |
Law and Policy Reform; Analysing Scholarship |
6 |
Australian Courts |
7 |
Tribunals |
8 |
Indigenous Customary Law |
9 |
Introduction to International Law |
10 |
The Rule of Law |
11 |
Democratic Institutions |
12 |
Advocacy |
13 |
The Rest of your Law Degree |
Further details on lecture topics and tutorial activities can be found on the unit’s iLearn page.
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 2022.03 of the Handbook