LAW 3532 - Advanced Constitutional Law

North Terrace Campus - Summer - 2020

This course will explore the ways in which courts, governments and individuals shape Australian constitutional law. It will include an overview of the different schools of theoretical thought regarding constitutional interpretation, but also around principles such as popular sovereignty, federalism, the separation of powers, the rule of law, and the role of the common law. The course will give students an opportunity to explore current constitutional questions as well as historically important constitutional disputes. Students will gain an understanding of the trajectory of, and trends in, constitutional law. The study of these topics will allow students to deepen and broaden their understanding of the principles of constitutional law learnt in the compulsory course, Australian Constitutional Law. Students will gain an understanding of the practice of key actors in constitutional matters, including the High Court, state and federal executives and legislatures, Indigenous people and other individuals.

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Course Details

Course Code	LAW 3532
Course	Advanced Constitutional Law
Coordinating Unit	Adelaide Law School
Term	Summer
Level	Undergraduate Law (LLB)
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Intensive
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Prerequisites	LAW 1504 and LAW 2501
Restrictions	Available to LLB and B.Criminology with B.Laws and BArts Advanced with B.Laws students only
Assessment	Typically will include interim assignment, group assignment and final assignment (research essay)

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Anna Olijnyk

Professor Alex Reilly

Course Timetable

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

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Analyse the principles of Australian constitutional law, undertake self-directed legal research at an advanced level, and evaluate complex legal information.
2. Critique the operation of Australian constitutional law from a theoretical and policy perspective.
3. Structure sustained and concise written and oral arguments for a legal audience.
4. Analyse the operation of Australian constitutional law from a policy perspective, and in the context of social and cultural diversity.
5. Communicate effectively individually and as part of a team. Work in collaboration with others to prepare written documents. Engage with team members in an ethical and professional manner.
6. Apply legal and theoretical concepts to specific situations.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1, 6
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	2, 6
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	3, 5
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	1, 3, 5
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	4
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	5

Learning Resources
Required Resources
There is no textbook for this course. The required resources are:
1. Topic Guides (available on MyUni)
2. Course Readings (available via MyUni)
Recommended Resources

Tony Blackshield and George Williams, Australian Constitutional Law and Theory: Commentary and Materials (7th ed, Federation Press, 2018) – this is the required text for Australian Constitution Law and students may find the discussion of constitutional principle in this text a useful reference or starting point for understanding the more advanced analysis in this course.

Additional resources may be posted on MyUni during the Course.

Online Learning

MyUni will be used to post announcements, post additional class materials (including slides if used, and if available, audio recordings of lectures) and announce assignment tasks. It will also contain electronic copies of the Course Guide and Course Materials.

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

Please note classes will not be recorded. Seminars will be interactive and flexible, and will not lend themselves to recording.

Learning & Teaching Modes

The course will be taught in intensive mode. Each day's class will include a combination of mini-lectures, interactive group activities, research proposals, guest lectures, working on the group assignment, and discussion of readings.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

This course is taught in intensive mode.

Contact time: 36 hours (6 days, 11am-6pm each day, with a 1 hour break)

Preparation time: In addition to attending formal classes it is anticipated that students will do substantial independent work to prepare for classes and to complete the course assignments. The University expects full time students (those undertaking 12 units per semester) to devote a total of 48 hours per week to their studies.

Learning Activities Summary

The order in which topics are covered is subject to change, to adapt to the availability of guest lecturers and to allow flexibility in the time taken for each topic in class.

**The tentative schedule of topics is:**
Day	Topic
1	Constitutional judgment writing
2	Constitutional interpretation
3	The implied freedom of political communication Part I
4	The implied freedom of political communication Part II
5	First Nations and the Constitution
6	The Australian people and the Constitution

Specific Course Requirements

There are no additional requirements for completion of this course other than described elsewhere in this document.

Small Group Discovery Experience

There is no Small Group Discovery Experience in this course.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Task Type	Due	Weighting	Length	Redeemable	Learning Outcome
Class participation	Individual	NA	10%	NA	No	2, 5
Research proposal presentation	Individual	NA	10%	3 minutes	No	1, 2, 4, 6
Judgment writing exercise	Group	17 February 2020	30%	2000 words	No	1, 3, 5, 6
Reflection on judgment writing exercise	Individual	24 February 2020	20%	1500 words	No	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Research essay	Individual	2 March 2020	30%	2000 words	No	1, 2, 3, 4, 6

Assessment Related Requirements

There are no additional assessment-related requirements.

Assessment Detail

1. Class participation (10%)

Students will be allocated one day of the course on which they are expected to be thoroughly prepared and to lead class discussion when asked. The grade will be based on preparation, quality of contributions, and engagement with other students.

2. Research proposal (10%)

Students will be required to present their proposed research essay topic in either an oral presentation to the class or an electronic presentation.

3. Judgment writing exercise (30%)

This assessment will provide students with an opportunity to apply their understanding of the role of the High Court in constitutional interpretation. The assignment will require students, working in groups, to write part of a judgment in a real High Court case.

3. Reflection on judgment writing exercise (20%)

Writing individually, students will explain how they reached their conclusion in the judgment writing exercise assignment. This is an opportunity to explain how students applied the concepts learned in the course, and how they worked with their peers.

4. Research essay (30%)

This assessment will allow students to demonstrate their research and writing skills, and to apply their understanding of the concepts covered in the course. The assignment will require students to identify, research, and analyse a case study involving constitutional interpretation.

Submission

Students must retain a copy of all assignments submitted.

All assignments in this course are to be submitted electronically through Turnitin.

All written work in the Law school is required to comply with the approved Law School style guide, the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (4th ed).

Extensions: Requests for extensions must be made electronically according to Law School policy. 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 grounds for an extension.

Late Submission Penalties: When an assessment is submitted after the due date, without an extension, 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 and public holidays. For example, an essay that is submitted after the due date and time but within the first 24 hour period, and that has been graded at 63%, will have
5% deducted, for a final grade of 58%. An essay that is more than 24 hours late will lose 10%, etc.

Word Length Penalties: 5% of the total mark possible for a written assessment will be deducted for every 100 words (or part thereof) by which it exceeds a stipulated word limit. For example, a 2,000 word essay graded at 63% will have 5% deducted if it is between 2,001 and 2,100 words long for a final mark of 58%. If the essay is between 2,101 and 2,200 words long, 10% will be deducted for a final mark of 53%, etc. Word limits include all words in the text, in headings, in quotations, but exclude citations in footnotes. Any separate cover page, table of contents, bibliography or list of sources is excluded from the word limit. If the word limit is misstated, this may be regarded as academic dishonesty.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Finality of Assessment Grades

Students are advised that Course Coordinators will not enter into negotiations of anykind 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.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

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 on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS 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 the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. 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 is available.
Student Support
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.
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
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.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator