Students

LAWS2100 – Jurisprudence

2026 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Andrea Dolcetti
Contact via via ILearn
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
60cp including LAWS1000 or LAW115
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit is a philosophically-based introduction to law and legal thought. It has four main objectives. It aims to introduce students to the nature of the Australian legal system; to equip them to think in a theoretical and critical way about the nature of law and legal reasoning; to convey an understanding of some key legal concepts; and to assist them to draw on and apply these reflections in the context of some contemporary legal issues.

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 central debates in jurisprudence
  • ULO2: Evaluate the law and legal institutions from a normative perspective
  • ULO3: Apply theoretical knowledge to real-life situations and topical controversies
  • ULO4: Develop the ability to build and communicate theoretical legal arguments under time pressure  
  • ULO5: Communicate, interact and collaborate professionally and effectively in verbal and non-verbal contexts across diverse settings
  • ULO6: Work independently, meet deadlines, take initiative and be adaptable to diverse and changing environments

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Professional Skills 20% No Ongoing Individual No Observed
Exam 50% No University Exam Period Individual No Observed
Practice-Based Task 30% No 20/09/2026 Individual Yes Open

Professional Skills

Assessment Type 1: Professional task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 20%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed

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:
  • Analyse central debates in jurisprudence
  • Evaluate the law and legal institutions from a normative perspective
  • Apply theoretical knowledge to real-life situations and topical controversies
  • Communicate, interact and collaborate professionally and effectively in verbal and non-verbal contexts across diverse settings
  • Work independently, meet deadlines, take initiative and be adaptable to diverse and changing environments

Exam

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: University Exam Period
Weighting: 50%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed

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:
  • Analyse central debates in jurisprudence
  • Evaluate the law and legal institutions from a normative perspective
  • Apply theoretical knowledge to real-life situations and topical controversies
  • Develop the ability to build and communicate theoretical legal arguments under time pressure  
  • Communicate, interact and collaborate professionally and effectively in verbal and non-verbal contexts across diverse settings
  • Work independently, meet deadlines, take initiative and be adaptable to diverse and changing environments

Practice-Based Task

Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 20/09/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open

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 central debates in jurisprudence
  • Evaluate the law and legal institutions from a normative perspective
  • Apply theoretical knowledge to real-life situations and topical controversies
  • Develop the ability to build and communicate theoretical legal arguments under time pressure  
  • Communicate, interact and collaborate professionally and effectively in verbal and non-verbal contexts across diverse settings
  • Work independently, meet deadlines, take initiative and be adaptable to diverse and changing environments

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
  • Academic Success 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.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

Delivery

Lectures: 12 live lectures (weeks 1 to 12) - see iLearn for further details

All tutorials are F2F, commencing in week 2 - see iLearn for further details

This unit is worth 10 credit points, which equates to 150 hours of work. Therefore, students should expect to commit an average of 10 hours per week to this unit, including all scheduled and unscheduled activities and preparing and executing the assessment tasks.

Resources

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

Students can purchase this textbook online directly from the publisher's website or from online resellers such as Booktopia, Amazon, and Zookal. Thomson Reuters has informed that students can take advantage of a 20% discount and free shipping by purchasing directly through them if they use the student Promo Code (Book and eBook bundles can be purchased at a 25% discount). The Promo Code is: UNIS15.

Additional readings will be accessible through iLearn.

Students require access to a computer, internet with decent speed and a secure/reliable server. The iLearn page contains all Unit requirements and a weekly schedule for teaching, readings and tutorials. Information about all assessment tasks is also available on iLearn.

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 https://students.mq.edu.au/support/technology/service-desk. 

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 2026.06 of the Handbook