Students

LAWS8005 – Theories of Law and Justice

2023 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Andrea Dolcetti
andrea.dolcetti@mq.edu.au
Contact via iLearn
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to GradCertLaw or GradDipLaw or JD
Corequisites Corequisites
LAWS8001 or LAWS600 or admission to JD in 2014
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
In this unit students will consider the central topics of jurisprudence. This involves a rigorous and critical analysis of the nature of law, legal reasoning and judicial decision-making. Debates about the legitimate purpose of the state in redressing socio-economic inequality and whether there is a need for 'rights' are provoked by this analysis. Written and verbal reasoning skills are a focus of development.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Analyse the issues at stake in debates about the nature of law, legal reasoning and adjudication.
  • ULO2: Assess the strengths and weaknesses of different theories about the nature of law, legal reasoning and adjudication.
  • ULO3: Critique legal arrangements and institutions from the normative perspective.
  • ULO4: Apply knowledge of theoretical debates in jurisprudence in assessing the reasoning in legal cases and answering hypothetical problems.

General Assessment Information

Late penalty policy

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.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Essay 40% No 13/09/23 (23:55 Sydney time)
Take-home exam 40% No 8/11/23, 9:45 - 13:00 (15 min reading time + 3-hour exam)
Class Participation 20% No Every week

Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 13/09/23 (23:55 Sydney time)
Weighting: 40%

 

Students will be required to write a research paper.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Analyse the issues at stake in debates about the nature of law, legal reasoning and adjudication.
  • Assess the strengths and weaknesses of different theories about the nature of law, legal reasoning and adjudication.
  • Critique legal arrangements and institutions from the normative perspective.
  • Apply knowledge of theoretical debates in jurisprudence in assessing the reasoning in legal cases and answering hypothetical problems.

Take-home exam

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 8/11/23, 9:45 - 13:00 (15 min reading time + 3-hour exam)
Weighting: 40%

 

The exam will test comprehension of course content and critical reasoning skills

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Analyse the issues at stake in debates about the nature of law, legal reasoning and adjudication.
  • Assess the strengths and weaknesses of different theories about the nature of law, legal reasoning and adjudication.
  • Critique legal arrangements and institutions from the normative perspective.
  • Apply knowledge of theoretical debates in jurisprudence in assessing the reasoning in legal cases and answering hypothetical problems.

Class Participation

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: Every week
Weighting: 20%

 

Participation in tutorial discussions, debates and presentations.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Analyse the issues at stake in debates about the nature of law, legal reasoning and adjudication.
  • Assess the strengths and weaknesses of different theories about the nature of law, legal reasoning and adjudication.
  • Critique legal arrangements and institutions from the normative perspective.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Weekly F2F lecture - Monday, 5:00pm to 6:00pm, in the Lotus Theatre (27 Wally's Walk), which will be recorded

Weekly pre-recorded lecture

For internal students: F2F tutorials (commencing in week 2) - Thursday, 4:00pm to 5:00pm, in 01CC 115 Learning Space

For external students: Online tutorials on alternate weeks

Textbook: B. Bix, Jurisprudence: Theory and Context, Sweet & Maxwell, 2023 (9th Edition)

For more info, including your reading list, please refer to the iLearn page and Leganto

Policies and Procedures

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.

Student Code of Conduct

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

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

Academic Integrity

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.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

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. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

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 2023.04 of the Handbook