Students

LAWS1300 – Criminal Justice

2025 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Max Barnett
max.barnett@mq.edu.au
Andrew Burke
andrew.burke@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
LAW115 or LAWS1000
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit aims to develop in students a critical understanding of substantive criminal law  - what makes an accused guilty or not guilty of a crime. Students will learn the principles of criminal responsibility and the defences available to an accused, and then apply that knowledge to a range of crimes including murder, assault and property offences. Students are encouraged to consider if the criminal law of NSW is rational, fair and just, and how it has been shaped by historical, social, political and philosophical factors.

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: Apply principles of statutory interpretation and problem solving methods to criminal justice scenarios
  • ULO2: Explain general doctrines of criminal responsibility and outline elements of offences and defences in accordance with Priestley requirements for legal practice
  • ULO3: Research, analyse, synthesise, interpret and derive legal principles from legislation, case law and parliamentary debate governing the administration of criminal justice
  • ULO4: Identify how the criminal law of NSW has been shaped by historical, social, political and philosophical factors
  • ULO5: Communicate, interact and collaborate professionally and effectively in verbal and non-verbal contexts across diverse settings.
  • ULO6: Work independently, meet deadlines and take initiative.

General Assessment Information

  • Submission - All assessments must be submitted electronically. Students should carefully check that they submit the correct file for an assessment, as re-submissions will not be accepted after the due date and time, including instances where students upload an incorrect file in error.
  • Turnitin plagiarism detection software is used to check all written assessments.
  • Word limits - Word limits are strictly applied. Work above the word limit will not be marked. Footnotes are to be used only for referencing.
  • Referencing - Referencing must conform to the requirements set out in the Australian Guide to Legal Citation 4th edition.
  • Late submission 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 submission penalty policy will apply to non-timed sensitive assessments (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc).
  • Late submission of time-sensitive tasks - 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.
  • Special Consideration - Special Consideration Students should submit applications for Special Consideration electronically via the Service Connect portal, along with the supporting documentation. Before submitting their applications, students should refer to the Special Consideration Policy (link provided under ‘Policies and Procedures’ below). Please do not email to request an extension or email to seek the outcome of a lodged application via email. No information can be provide via email, all information will be provided via the Connect system.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Exam 40% No Exam Period
Professional Skills 20% No In-class
Practice-Based Task 40% No 22/09/2025

Exam

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Exam Period
Weighting: 40%

 

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

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply principles of statutory interpretation and problem solving methods to criminal justice scenarios
  • Explain general doctrines of criminal responsibility and outline elements of offences and defences in accordance with Priestley requirements for legal practice
  • Research, analyse, synthesise, interpret and derive legal principles from legislation, case law and parliamentary debate governing the administration of criminal justice
  • Communicate, interact and collaborate professionally and effectively in verbal and non-verbal contexts across diverse settings.
  • Work independently, meet deadlines and take initiative.

Professional Skills

Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 2 hours
Due: In-class
Weighting: 20%

 

Students will engage in classroom activities including mooting, presentations or demonstrations, structured discussion and problem solving, doctrinal analysis, simulated client consultations, and collaborative legal research. Through these activities students will develop skills in oral advocacy, legal analysis, critical reasoning, teamwork and team leadership, and/or strategic problem-solving. These activities are designed to strengthen students' ability to communicate legal concepts verbally and engage professionally within a supportive learning environment.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply principles of statutory interpretation and problem solving methods to criminal justice scenarios
  • Explain general doctrines of criminal responsibility and outline elements of offences and defences in accordance with Priestley requirements for legal practice
  • Identify how the criminal law of NSW has been shaped by historical, social, political and philosophical factors
  • Communicate, interact and collaborate professionally and effectively in verbal and non-verbal contexts across diverse settings.
  • Work independently, meet deadlines and take initiative.

Practice-Based Task

Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 22/09/2025
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:
  • Apply principles of statutory interpretation and problem solving methods to criminal justice scenarios
  • Explain general doctrines of criminal responsibility and outline elements of offences and defences in accordance with Priestley requirements for legal practice
  • Research, analyse, synthesise, interpret and derive legal principles from legislation, case law and parliamentary debate governing the administration of criminal justice
  • Communicate, interact and collaborate professionally and effectively in verbal and non-verbal contexts across diverse settings.
  • Work independently, meet deadlines and take initiative.

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

Compulsory Text

Howie, R., Sattler, P., Hood, M., Hayes & Eburn Criminal Law and Procedure in New South Wales (LexisNexis, 7th ed., 2023)

Lectures

The weekly lectures will be delivered by Dr Andrew Burke and the recordings will be made available online.

Tutorials

Professional Skills will be assessed in tutorials by expert staff members.

Online Content

Online content can be accessed on iLearn. Personal computer and Internet access are required.

Unit Schedule

1 Introduction to Criminal Justice
2 Principles of Criminal Responsibility
3 Murder
4 Involuntary Manslaughter
5 Voluntary Manslaughter
6 Assault
7 Defences: Duress, necessity, and self-defence
8 Defences: Mental health impairment, automatism, and intoxication
9 Summary Offences
10 Property Offences
11 Sexual Assault
12 Drug Offences
13 Extending Criminal Liability

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/

Academic Success

Academic Success 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 2025.03 of the Handbook