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Unit Summary
Anti-requisites
Not available for students admitted to an LLB course.
Unit aim
Introduces students to the concept of law and to the Australian legal system. Discusses basic concepts such as federalism, parliamentary sovereignty, separation of powers, rule of law, statutory interpretation, the doctrine of precedent and procedural fairness. Explores issues related to Indigenous Australian peoples and to effective equality before the law for all Australians.
Unit content
Module 1: Law in context
Module 2: Laws and legal systems in Australia
Module 3: Institutional structures
Module 4: Judge-made law
Module 5: Legislation
Module 6: Law in practice
Learning outcomes
Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.
| On completion of this unit, students should be able to: | |
|---|---|
| 1 | demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental concepts of the Australian legal system, including federalism, parliamentary sovereignty, separation of powers, rule of law, statutory interpretation, the doctrine of precedent and procedural fairness |
| 2 | recognise the historical, social and political context of the foundations of the Australian legal system and evaluate whether the system achieves equality before the law for disadvantaged groups |
| 3 | identify how the law is made and the institutions and processes that influence change |
| 4 | identify how law enforcement operates in practice and the role of legal and paralegal professional roles. |
On completion of this unit, students should be able to:
- demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental concepts of the Australian legal system, including federalism, parliamentary sovereignty, separation of powers, rule of law, statutory interpretation, the doctrine of precedent and procedural fairness
- recognise the historical, social and political context of the foundations of the Australian legal system and evaluate whether the system achieves equality before the law for disadvantaged groups
- identify how the law is made and the institutions and processes that influence change
- identify how law enforcement operates in practice and the role of legal and paralegal professional roles.
Prescribed texts
- Sanson, M & Anthony, T, 2022, Connecting with Law, 5th edn, Oxford University Press, Docklands, Victoria. ISBN: 9780190333782.
- Sanson, M & Anthony, T, 2022, Connecting with Law, 5th edn, Oxford University Press, Docklands, Victoria. ISBN: 9780190333782.
- Prescribed text information is not currently available.