Due: Weeks 1-7 and OCS Weighting: 20%

Given this course is run in block mode students are expected to participate in focused online discussions about the weekly topics. Students are also expected to actively participate in both days of the 2-day on-campus-session (OCS).

Online participation: During weeks 1-7 the convenor will post a discussion question based on that week's topics and students will write a 200-word response to this question and discuss the topics together. Each discussion question requires students to critically evaluate the materials posted on iLearn for that week’s topic and refer to these materials in the response. These materials are: the lecture, the supplementary materials and the allocated readings. Forum posts are due by midnight on Sunday during weeks 1-7. 

This assessment offers students the chance to engage in critical reflection and analysis of the weekly topics and discuss these ideas with one-another. The convenor will moderate and may also contribute to these discussions. In addition to posting comments about the topic students may wish to share additional resources (suggest other readings, post links for relevant videos/podcasts etc).

Students must write a response to each discussion question each week – this means you will write 7 x 200-word responses. Choose what you believe are your 3 best posts and upload these to the appropriate Turnitin link on the same word document you submit for Assessment 2 on 13 September 2019. Students are not to exceed the word limit.

OCS participation: Topic Discussion and General Class Participation 

Students will be randomly assigned a topic to discuss during the OCS as part of the class participation mark. The allocation of topics will be released to students one week before the OCS (to encourage all students to engage with the course material throughout the first half of the semester and to be as fair as possible to students who are allocated to discuss weeks 6 and 7 topics). All students will commence their in-class discussion with an Acknowledgement of Country or a Welcome to Country that demonstrates Indigenous cultural competency and integrates your study of child and elder law into this Acknowledgement/Welcome.

Students who are assigned to a topic will have the 'first right of reply' or 'first chance to respond' to the questions set for your allocated topic and your tutor will facilitate the class discussion. The students who are allocated to each topic will be primarily responsible for inputting into the class discussion about the given topic. Thus, students must be ready to present ideas, insights and reflections on the lectures/readings during the class discussion. Note however, that during the OCS all students are responsible for participating in all class discussions about all topics.  

The online participation combined with the OCS participation marks will comprise 20% of your overall mark.

This Assessment Task relates to the following Learning Outcomes:

• Demonstrate awareness and understanding of the legal issues affecting children and elderly people in various contexts.
• Identify the elements of a rights-based approach to legal issues that affect children and elderly people.
• Engage in critical analysis of the way in which laws impact on children and elderly people.
• Evaluate the role of law reform in key areas affecting children and elderly people.
• Demonstrate awareness and understanding of the way law impacts on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
• Demonstrate effective oral communication skills by discussing and debating course concepts in a scholarly, reflective and respectful manner.

More information about this assessment will be provided on the iLearn page.

You are the Children’s Rights Legal Advisor for a leading children's non-government organisation (NGO). Your organisation is running a campaign on a key national children’s rights concern. Along with other Children’s Rights Legal Advisors from a range of NGOs across the world you have been asked to present your organisation’s campaign at a plenary session during the “World Congress on Children's Rights: Working Together to Build a World Fit for Children.” This is a large international meeting organised by UNICEF and includes over 70 NGO and country delegations. Your presentation at the Congress will be televised and/or broadcast on radio. You are allocated 5-minutes during the plenary to present your campaign.

NOTE: Imagine that later in the Congress you will deliver a 20-minute paper on your organisation’s campaign as part of a range of side-sessions at the event. Thus, your 5-minute presentation is a condensed version of the larger presentation. Imagining this gives you a context for this assessment and a context for what NGO legal advisors do in reality.

Your presentation at the World Congress (and a 1-page media article you will prepare about it) will be distributed widely on social media. Your 1-page article will discuss the legal context of the children's rights issue your campaign is about. This should be written in plain English and pitched to a general audience. It should be appropriate to be published in a local newspaper and distributed widely on social media alongside your video or radio podcast. Links to examples of such articles will be provided on the iLearn page. 

Your role is based in any country of your choosing. Your campaign has a national or regional focus. Thus, your presentation and 1-page article must relate to a particular children's rights issue in a specific country or region.

You can choose whether you would like to submit a video or an audio file for this assessment. More information about this assessment will be provided on the iLearn page and discussed in lectures. Instructions for how to record and upload this assessment (using Zoom) will be provided on the iLearn page.  

Articles must be submitted in a word document, and be double-line spaced text using 12 point font (use Times New Roman). 

Articles are to be no longer than 1 page (do not include ANY footnotes or a bibliography - URL links may be used in the text of the article). This is a strict requirement and any content over 1-page words will not be marked.

Late Assessment Penalty

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline.

More information about this assessment will be provided on the iLearn page.

Remember: When you submit this assessment also include in the same word file your 3 best online posts from weeks 1-7 and upload this to the appropriate Turnitin link. 

Drawing on the learning throughout the course and in response to the essay question(s) released students will apply their research skills and produce a research paper of 2,500-3,000 words. This assessment is an independent research paper and will give students the opportunity to draw on key elements of child and/or elder law explored during the course.

Essays must be submitted in a word document, and be double-line spaced text using 12 point font (use Times New Roman). 

Essays are to be no longer than 3,000 words (this word count does not include the footnotes and bibliography). This is a strict requirement and any content (other than the footnotes and bibliography) over 3,000 words will not be marked. Exceeding the word limit will mean the last portion of excess words will not be marked and this could mean that all or part of the conclusion is not marked (if this occurs this will significantly and negatively impact student's marks.) Footnotes should only be used for references, with no further discussion. A bibliography must be provided. Submissions must be a word document. This paper is to be submitted via the appropriate Turnitin link on the iLearn page.

The essay must comply with the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (4 ed). The Guide is available here: https://law.unimelb.edu.au/mulr/aglc

Late Assessment Penalty

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline.

More information about this assessment will be provided on the iLearn page.