Each week there will be a two-hour lecture. Seminars commence in Week 2.

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from the Course Planner.

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Analyse the foundational principles of commercial law, undertake self-directed research at a foundational level, and evaluate (complex) legal and business-related information
2. Apply commercial law to complex problems/issues, critique the operation of commercial law from a theoretical perspective, either individually or as part of a team
3. Structure and sustain concise and cohesive written and/or oral arguments for a professional audience
4. Conduct legal research and analysis at a foundational level independently in a professional/academic environment
5. Analyse the impact/operation of commercial law from policy, comparative and interdisciplinary perspectives.

Business Law by Andy Gibson & Sarah Osborne, 11th ed, 2020 published by Pearson.

Additional resources are provided for each learning week via MyUni.

The MyUni course page for this course can be accessed at http://www.adelaide.edu.au/myuni/

Besides this Course Outline, students can use MyUni to access copies of the lecture slides, recordings of lectures, assessment tasks and other course materials.

Students are expected to check MyUni regularly to keep up to date with these materials and additional learning resources throughout the course.

Students in this course are expected to attend all lectures throughout the semester plus one one-hour seminar each week.

The lectures will offer an overview of the topics covered in the course, according to the schedule set out below. Each lecture will include opportunities for students to ask questions on the issues covered and engage in the discussion.

The seminars involve small group discussion of selected issues covered in the course and are designed to encourage active engagement with the themes of the course. The seminars are meant to be more of a guided, open forum for discussion and analysis, and will help students to think critically about the many significant issues addressed throughout the course. The questions assigned for each seminar will assist in providing some direction for this discussion.

For 3-unit courses, students are expected to devote an average of 12 hours per week to their studies in it, including classes. Students in this course are expected to attend all lectures throughout the semester plus one one-hour seminar each week.

The assigned readings provide not only a context for the material covered in the lectures but for the seminars.

Copies of PowerPoint presentation slides used in the lectures will be made available on MyUni ahead of each lecture. These provide a basic outline of the points covered, though they should not be seen as a substitute for attendance or for the assigned readings. Some students may find it useful to print the slides out in advance of the relevant lectures and use them as a basis for taking notes.

The lectures are intended to provide an overview of the relevant themes and principles and to put them into context. They are not meant to tell students everything they need to know, but to serve as a guide for their own study. That study should involve, at the very least, reading through the material in the Study Guide and any other directed readings, and preparation of answers to the questions set for seminars.

Schedule

Week	Lecture Topic	Seminar Topic
1	The Australian Legal System	NO SEMINARS
2	Contracts: Formation	The Australian Legal System (practice quiz)
3	Contracts: Terms (focus on express terms)	Contracts: Formation
4	Contracts: Termination	Contracts: Terms (focus on express terms)
5	Contracts: Damages	Contracts: Termination
6	Academic Integrity	Contracts: Damages
	MID-SEMESTER BREAK	NO SEMINARS
7	Australian Consumer Law (focus on misleading or deceptive conduct)	Academic Integrity Workshop
8	Australian Consumer Law (focus on unconscionable conduct and selected other topics)	Australian Consumer Law (focus on misleading or deceptive conduct)
9	Business Structures other than Companies	Australian Consumer Law (focus on unconscionable conduct and selected other topics)
10	Business Structures (Companies)	Business Structures other than Companies
11	Tort of Negligence	Business Structures (Companies)
12	Lecture on Exam Preparation	Tort of Negligence
	SWOT

Assessment Task	Task Type	Length	Due	Weighting	Redeemable	Learning Outcome
Online Quiz	Individual	20 questions	Week 3 Opens 17/3 at 9am and Closes 19/3 at 9am	10%	No	1-2
Academic Integrity Module	Individual	Online engagement	End of Week 6 10/4 at 2pm	5%	No	1-2
Online Quiz	Individual	20 questions	Week 7 Opens 28/4 at 9am and Closes 30/4 at 9am	10%	No	1-2
Assignment	Individual	2000 words	Week 8 Monday 4th May at 2pm	35%	Yes	1-4
Exam	Individual	2 hours	Exam Period	40% or 75%	No	1,2,5

Each piece of assessment is compulsory.  The assignment is redeemable for submitted paper only.

The assessment components are as follows:

1. Online Quiz

First Quiz: Week 3 (10%) Second Quiz: Week 7 (10%)

Release Dates:
The first Online Quiz will be available from 9am on Tuesday 17th March 2020 to 9am on Thursday 19th March 2020 (Week 3) via the relevant link on MyUni.
The second Online Quiz will be available from 9am on Tuesday 28th April 2020 to 9am Thursday 30th April 2020 (Week 7) via the relevant link on MyUni.

Details:
Each Online Quiz will comprise of 20 multiple choice questions. Quiz questions for each individual student are drawn from a larger bank of questions and randomised. 
The first Online Quiz will test student knowledge of the Australian Legal System. The second Online Quiz will test student knowledge of contract law concepts (see lecture topics weeks 2-5). 

2. Academic Integrity Module (5%)

This online tool is a helpful way of introducing students to the University's policies surrounding Academic Integrity. Importantly, completion of the module enables students to understand the University's rules on plagiarism and collusion.

The Module will be accessible from the MyUni course page and will be open from Week 1. Completion of the Module is due by the end of Week 6: 10 April at 2pm.

4. Assignment (35%) (word limit:2000 words)

Release Date: The Assignment will be released on Friday 10th April 2019 at 2pm (Week 6).

Due Date: The Assignment must be submitted by 2pm on Monday 4th May 2020 (Week 8).
Details: This exercise will require students to answer a legal problem question and a short research essay addressing material taught in Weeks 2-5. The Assignment must be submitted via the Turnitin submission box on MyUni. Further instructions regarding the Assignment will be contained in the question paper. It is redeemable for submitted papers only.

3. Take Home Exam (40% or 75%)

Release Date: University exam period (TBA).
Due Date: N/A
Details: The Exam will be two hours in duration, with course material (week 7-12) being potentially examinable. The exam will be open book. Further information regarding the Exam will be delivered to students closer to the date.

1. Students must retain a copy of all assignments submitted.
2. The assignment must be submitted via 'Turn-It-In' on MyUni. Details for electronic submission through Turnitin will be provided with the assignment instructions. By submitting your assignment you are agreeing to the following:
1. I declare that all material in this assessment is my own work except where there is clear acknowledgement and reference to the work of others. I have read the Policy on Cheating in Examinations and Related Forms of Assessment. I have also read the University's Plagiarism Policy.
2. I give permission for my assessment work to be reproduced and submitted to other academic staff for the purposes of assessment and to be copied, submitted and retained in a form suitable for electronic checking of plagiarism.
3. Late Submission: Where an assignment is submitted after the due date and without an extension, penalties of 5% of the total mark possible will be deducted for every 24 hours or part thereof that it is late, including each day on a weekend. For example, an essay graded 63% will have 5% deducted if it is one hour late, for a final grade of 58%, 10% if it is 25 hours late, etc.  This penalty may be increased where the assignment is to be completed in a period of less than a week. 
4. Word Length: Assignments which exceed the allocated length (word length or page limit) will be subject to a penalty of 5% of total marks possible per 100 words or part thereof (i.e. with a word limit of 3,000, an essay graded 63% will have 5% deducted if it is 3001 words long, for a final grade of 58%, 10% if it is 3101 words long, etc). Words are calculated including all footnotes and headings within the text but excluding cover page information, separate bibliography or list of sources. Quotations and all referencing information are included in the word count. If the word limit is seriously misstated, this may be regarded as academic dishonesty.
5. Extensions: Requests for extensions must be made via the ‘Application for Assessment Extension’ form
   available at http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/forms/. Extensions will be granted only for unexpected illness, hardship or on compassionate grounds in accordance with University Policy. Work commitments, travel, holidays or sporting engagements are NOT unexpected circumstances.

6. Style of written work: All written work in the Law school is required to comply with the approved Law School style guide, the Australian Guide to Legal Citation. However, on account of the fact that this topic is taught into the Business School and is not law-specific, Harvard or APA referencing will also be accepted.
7. Turnaround time: The assignment for this course will be returned to students within 3 weeks of the submission date. Written individual feedback will be provided on each paper.

Courses for which a result of conceded pass has been obtained may not be presented towards the degree requirements for the Bachelor of Laws or the Honours Degree of Bachelor of Laws programs, or any postgraduate law program, nor to satisfy prerequisite requirements within any law course.

Finality of Assessment Grades

Students are advised that Course Coordinators will not enter into negotiations of any kind with any student regarding changes to their grades. It is irrelevant, in any given circumstance, that only a minimal number of additional marks are required to inflate a student’s grade for any individual assessment item or course as a whole. Pursuant to the University’s Assessment for Coursework Programs Policyand the Adelaide Law School Assessment Policies and Procedures, grades may only be varied through the appropriate channels for academic review (such as an official re-mark).

Moderation

In accordance with the University’s Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy, course coordinators ‘ensure that appropriate marking guidelines and cross-marking moderation processes across markers are in place’ in each course. Procedures adopted by Adelaide Law School to ensure consistency of marking in courses with multiple markers include:

• assurance of the qualifications of markers, and their knowledge of the content covered in each course;
• detailed marking guidelines and assessment rubrics to assist in the marking of items of assessment;
• sharing of example marked assessments at various grade bands across markers;
• reviewing of selected marked assessments from each marker by the course coordinator;
• comparison of the marks and their distribution across markers;
• automatic double-marking of all interim assessment receiving a fail grade, and of final assessments where a student’s overall result is a fail grade;
• the availability of re-marking of assessments in accordance with Adelaide Law School’s Assessment Policies and Procedures.

Approval of Results by Board of Examiners

Students are reminded that all assessment results are subject to approval (and possible moderation/change) by the Law School’s Board of Examiners. Assessment results at the University are not scaled. Under the Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy, students are assessed ‘by reference to their performance against pre-determined criteria and standards … and not by ranking against the performance of the student cohort in the course’. However, under that same policy, the Board of Examiners (as the relevant Assessment Review Committee for courses at Adelaide Law School) is required to ‘ensure comparability of standards and consistency’ in assessment. On occasions, the Board of Examiners will form the view that some moderation is required to ensure the comparability of standards and consistency across courses and years, and accordingly provide fairness to all law students. All assessment results are therefore subject to approval (and possible change) until confirmed by the Board of Examiners and posted on Access Adelaide at the end of each semester.

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including ongoing engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as CEQ surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at least once every 2 years. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data can be found at: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/clpd/selt/aggregates/.

Students will be encouraged to participate in the SELT survey, as an opportunity to provide feedback to the teaching staff in relation to the course.

 

Occupational Health and Safety Arrangements
The School is committed to upholding the University’s Policy on Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S). All staff and students have a legal responsibility to act in the interests of themselves and others with respect to OH&S. To assist us, and to comply with your responsibilities, you are required to become informed about emergency evacuation procedures and the evacuation areas for the classes you attend.

Evacuation Procedures
Staff and students must leave the building via the fire stairs once the notice to evacuate has been given. The lifts should not be used. Those experiencing difficulties leaving the building should notify the floor warden. Staff and students may return to the building only after the Warden has granted permission.

Medical Emergencies & First Aid In a life threatening situation only- telephone 8303 5444.

Representatives and Officers
First Aid officers are trained to deal with first aid situations. School Safety Officers represent the Head of School in OH&S matters. The elected OH&S Representative can represent staff and students in OH&S issues.

Accident and Incident Reporting
OH&S legislation demands that all accidents and near-miss incidents be reported to the School Manager or Head of School. In the event of an accident or incident the person involved, and their supervisor, must complete an Accident/Incident Report and Investigation Form, within 48 hours of the accident/incident. A copy of the completed form is to be forwarded to the OH&S Safety Officer. Copies of the form are available from the OH&S Representative or Safety Officer. The University Writing Centre provides academic learning and language development services and resources for local, international, undergraduate and postgraduate coursework students enrolled at the University of Adelaide.

The centre offers practical advice and strategies for students to master reading, writing, note-taking, time management, oral presentation skills, referencing techniques and exam preparation for success at university through seminars, workshops and individual consultations.

Lex Salus Program

Lex Salus (law and wellbeing) is an initiative of the Adelaide Law School aimed at destigmatising mental health issues; promoting physical, mental and emotional wellness; building a strong community of staff and students; and celebrating diversity within the school. It also seeks to promote wellness within the legal profession, through the involvement of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia, the Honourable Chris Kourakis, as the official Patron of the program.

Students can participate in the Lex Salus program by attending barbecue lunches, pancake breakfasts, knitting and crochet circles, seminars, guest speakers, conferences and other activities. Our Facebook page, website and regular all-student emails promote upcoming events, and have tips and information on wellness.

Our Lex Salus YouTube channel also includes videos on topics like managing stress, and interviews with LGBTQ lawyers and their supporters which celebrate diversity and individuality. Students who commit to 10 hours of volunteering with Lex Salus in one year can have their service recognised on their academic transcript and through a thank you morning tea with the Chief Justice and law school staff.

Student Life Counselling Support

The University’s Student Life Counselling Support service provides free and confidential service to all enrolled students. We encourage you to contact the Student Life Counselling Support service on 8313 5663 to make an appointment to deal with any issues that may be affecting your study and life.

Academic Honesty

Academic dishonesty is a serious act of academic misconduct. All students must be familiar with the University’s Academic Honesty Policy.

Academic dishonesty is a serious matter and is treated as such by the Law School and the University. Academic dishonesty (which goes beyond plagiarism) can be a ground for a refusal by the Supreme Court of South Australia to admit a person to practice as a legal practitioner in South Australia.

Academic honesty is an essential aspect of ethical and honest behaviour, which is central to the practice of the law and an understanding of what it is to be a lawyer.