Students

LAWS5920 – Legal Research Project

2023 – Session 2, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Rita Matulionyte
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
LAWS5910
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This is an advanced legal research unit for Bachelor of Laws students intending to graduate with Honours. In this unit, students work under the close supervision of the academic convenor of the unit and their research supervisor to develop a 10,000 word thesis that addresses a contemporary legal problem. This unit requires advanced legal research skills, the ability to engage in self-directed research under supervision and superior legal writing ability. Students will learn to design research projects with rigorous research methodologies, to proffer good written analyses with sound argumentation, and to reflect on legal scholarship and on the law critically while conducted ethical research.

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: Independently undertake an advanced legal research project under the supervision of a legal academic
  • ULO2: Execute a legal research methodology appropriate for the research plan
  • ULO3: Identify and apply the ethics of legal research scholarship to the execution of a research project
  • ULO4: Critically analyse complex legal problems by identifying, researching, evaluating and synthesising relevant factual, legal and policy issues

General Assessment Information

Information about each assessment item and the relevant rubrics are available on iLearn site.

Late Assessment Submission Penalty

Thesis: 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.

Viva: The above Special Consideration policy does not apply. If the student cannot conduct Viva on the prescribed date, they will have to submit a special consideration request to the Unit Convenor. If the request is approved, the student will be offered another date to conduct a Viva.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Thesis Viva 20% No Weeks 10 and 11
10,000 word thesis 80% No Week 12

Thesis Viva

Assessment Type 1: Viva/oral examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Weeks 10 and 11
Weighting: 20%

 

Students will defend their thesis in a viva.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Independently undertake an advanced legal research project under the supervision of a legal academic
  • Execute a legal research methodology appropriate for the research plan
  • Identify and apply the ethics of legal research scholarship to the execution of a research project
  • Critically analyse complex legal problems by identifying, researching, evaluating and synthesising relevant factual, legal and policy issues

10,000 word thesis

Assessment Type 1: Thesis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 132 hours
Due: Week 12
Weighting: 80%

 

Students will prepare a 10,000 word thesis under close supervision from an academic from Macquarie Law School

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Independently undertake an advanced legal research project under the supervision of a legal academic
  • Execute a legal research methodology appropriate for the research plan
  • Identify and apply the ethics of legal research scholarship to the execution of a research project
  • Critically analyse complex legal problems by identifying, researching, evaluating and synthesising relevant factual, legal and policy issues

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

There is no prescribed textbook for this unit.

For further information about this Unit please consult the iLearn site.

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 2023.03 of the Handbook