Telephone 83130584
Email lorne.neudorf@adelaide.edu.au

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

1. Explain the history and contemporary features of the Australian legal system, including its key institutions, doctrines and principles.
2. Explain the fundamental legal rules and principles relevant to a wide range of selected areas of the law.
3. Conduct legal research and analysis.
4. Communicate effectively in small group settings.
   
   

Reading / Texts

The required readings (the Course Materials) for this course will be made available online on MyUni.

None.

Given the breadth of content in this course, there is no one text or collection of texts which adequately covers all of the material. Moreover, much of the content is legal in nature and the principal texts in each area are designed for scholars and students of the law. However, should you require assistance with any particular area of the law as covered in the course, there are plenty of useful resources available in the Law Library and the staff there would be more than willing to assist you in this regard. You are also very welcome to consult your teachers for guidance on particular texts that might be of use to help deepen your understanding of particular legal concepts.

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

Besides this Course Profile, students can use MyUni to access copies of the PowerPoint slides used in lectures, 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.

The delivery of this course consists of a weekly 2 hour lecture and a 1 hour weekly seminar. All lectures will be recorded and posted to MyUni. Seminars are not recorded.

Contact time: attend 2 hours lecture plus 1 hour seminar each week.  This amounts to 36 hours of formal class time across the semester.

The University expects full-time students (ie those taking 12 units per semester) to devote a total of 48 hours per week to their studies during semester. This means that in addition to lectures and seminars, students should spend an additional 9 or 10 hours per week in private study in the course across the semester – this includes doing the readings, watching the pre-lecture videos, taking the pre-lecture quizzes, preparing for the lecture and seminar activities, participation in group work, and undertaking the assessment tasks.

Learning activities will involve weekly lectures and seminars.

Lectures are a teacher-driven learning activity; relaying of knowledge and information. Seminars are more interactive than lectures. Students are expected to prepare answers to seminar questions to facilitate useful in-class discussions between peers. As such, seminars are largely student driven. Seminar leaders are learning facilitators. 

Week	Topic
1	Introduction to the Australian Legal System
2	The Lawmaking Process and Statutory Interpretation
3	Law in the Media
4	Courts and the Common Law
5	Criminal Law and Procedure
6	Legal Theory
7	Tort of Negligence
8	Contract Law
9	Australian Consumer Law
10	Property Law
11	Law and Psychology
12	Future Directions in Law

Assessment tasks are also learning activities.  The three assessment activities for this course assess student understanding of course content in three different ways:

- Quiz: online task (technological platform);
- Media analysis: research-based task to assess understanding and application of legal principles;
- Research essay: research-based task to assess understanding and application of legal principles.

Assessment Task	Task Type	Due Date	Weighting	Redeemable?	Learning Outcomes
Online Quiz	Individual assessment	Week 3 Open: 7 August 9am Close: 9 August 9am	20%	No	1-3
Media Analysis	Individual assessment	Friday 31 August 2pm	30%	No	1-4
Research Essay	Individual assessment	Friday 2 November 2pm	50%	No	1-4
Total			100%

1. Online Quiz - 20% of final grade
   
   This assessment item requires all students to take an online quiz which assesses student comprehension of legal principles discussed in the first 2 weeks of the course. The quiz involves answering 15 multiple choice questions and 2 short answer analysis questions.  The quiz will be available for completion by students at any time during a 48-hour period. During this time, students may log in and out of the quiz. Completed answers can be saved but the quiz cannot be resubmitted. Questions will be randomised from a larger pool of questions.
   
   See above for due date.
   
   
2. Media Analysis - 30% of final grade
   
   This assessment item requires all students to submit a written paper of no more than 1000 words in length. Students will be required to identify and critically assess a law-related media article and consider its relevance to the Australian legal sytsem, the techniques utilised by media to present legal issues and the role played by media in the legal process.  Further instructions on the expected content and formatting will be provided at the start of semester.
   
   See above for due date.
   
   
3. Research essay - 50% of final grade
   
   The final assessment item requires all students to engage in legal research and submit a written argumentative essay of no more than 2500 words in length. Students will be given a choice of essay questions at the start of semester.  Further instructions on the expected content and formatting will be provided at the start of semester.
   
   See above for due date.

Detailed submission information will be provided with the instructions for each item of assessment.

Penalty for Late Submission

When an assessment is submitted after the due date, without an extension, 5% of the total marks 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 but less than 48 hours late will lose 10%, etc.

Penalty for Exceeding Stipulated Word Length

Assignments which exceed the allocated length 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 1,000, an essay graded 63% will have 5% deducted if it is 1001 words long, for a final grade of 58%; 10% if it is 1101 words long, etc.). Words are calculated including text in the main body and headings, but excluding footnotes, cover page information, bibliography or list of sources. You must state the word limit on the cover page of your assignment.  If the word limit is misstated, this may be regarded as academic dishonesty.

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 final 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 an individual assessment item or course as a whole.  Pursuant to the University's Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy and 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).

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.

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 at various grade bands across markers;
- 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.

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 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.