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Location Domestic International
Gold Coast
Session1,2
Session1,2
Online
Session1,2,3

Unit Summary

Unit type

UG Coursework Unit

Credit points

12

Anti-requisites

Not available for students admitted to the Associate Degree in Law (Paralegal Studies) or Bachelor of Legal and Justice Studies.

Unit aim

Explores the origins of Australian law from both jurisprudential and historical viewpoints, and the structure of our legal institutions and divisions of legal personnel. Develops skills of legal reasoning, the ability to interpret cases and statutes, and clear and concise oral and written legal communication.

Unit content

1. Legal Education
2. Statutory Interpretation
3. Precedent: The Standing Cases
4. Legal Theory and Earth Laws
5. Reception of English law
6. Australian Legal Institutions
7. The Role of Discretion, Judges, Police and Policy Makers
8. Land rights: A Case Study in Precedent
9. Statutory Interpretation Revisited
10. The State of Exception: Terrorists, Bikies and Peaceful Protesters
11. Access and Equality Before the Law
12. Revision and Exam Preparation

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 critique the law from a number of theoretical perspectives, exploring how legal and social phenomena are inter-related; the role of the judiciary in mystifying and legitimising law, and law’s claims to be neutral and objective
2 utilise specific skills to predict the ways in which legal rules will be interpreted and applied, namely the theory of precedent and the rules governing the interpretation of statutes
3 communicate face-to-face, online and in writing, with precision and clarity, utilising a variety of media to engage with the process of learning
4 engage in collaborative group work with other students.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. critique the law from a number of theoretical perspectives, exploring how legal and social phenomena are inter-related; the role of the judiciary in mystifying and legitimising law, and law’s claims to be neutral and objective
  2. utilise specific skills to predict the ways in which legal rules will be interpreted and applied, namely the theory of precedent and the rules governing the interpretation of statutes
  3. communicate face-to-face, online and in writing, with precision and clarity, utilising a variety of media to engage with the process of learning
  4. engage in collaborative group work with other students.

Prescribed texts

  • Sanson, M & Anthony, T, 2019, Connecting with Law, 4th edn, Oxford University Press.

  • Sanson, M & Anthony, T, 2019, Connecting with Law, 4th edn, Oxford University Press.

  • Sanson, M & Anthony, T, 2019, Connecting with Law, 4th edn, Oxford University Press.
Prescribed texts may change in future teaching periods.