Students

LAWS8005 – Theories of Law and Justice

2024 – Session 3, Online-scheduled-weekday

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Andrea Dolcetti
andrea.dolcetti@mq.edu.au
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.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Class Participation 20% No Ongoing
Exam 40% No University Exam Period
Practice-Based Task 40% No Sunday, 5 January 2025 (11:55pm)

Class Participation

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

 

An assessment of students' participation in tutorials which may include participation in tutorial discussions and debates, problem-solving, role plays, critical engagement with the unit materials, and other activities. This may require preparation before the tutorial including completing the required readings and considering or preparing responses to the tutorial materials.

 
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.

Exam

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: University Exam Period
Weighting: 40%

 

An invigilated examination. The exam may cover any or all topics and materials covered in the unit.

 
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.

Practice-Based Task

Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Sunday, 5 January 2025 (11:55pm)
Weighting: 40%

 

An assessment on professional skills and knowledge relevant to the unit. This could be a legal or policy brief, a report, an essay, a law reform proposal, legal pleadings or other related professional task. This assessment may require students to prepare a response through research and adhere to discipline-specific scholarly conventions.

 
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.

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

Delivery

Lectures: All the lectures for this Unit are pre-recorded and available via Echo360

Tutorials: see iLearn page

Resources

The required textbook is: Brian H. Bix, Jurisprudence: Theory and Context (Sweet & Maxwell/Thomson Reuters, 2023, 9th Edition)

Additional readings are available via 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 connect.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 the Service Connect Portal, 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 2024.03 of the Handbook