Course staff:

Associate Professor Laura Grenfell (co-coordinator)

Professor Paul Babie

Associate Professor Peter Burdon

Professor Alex Reilly

Mr Christopher Davis

1. Explain the development of native title law and policy in the Australian
context.

2.Compare the Australian legal landscape in which native title exists with that
of other settler states such as Canada and New Zealand.

3. Articulate Indigenous conceptions of law and land and how these conceptions
mesh with non-Indigenous law and policy.

4. Conduct legal research and writing for a medium length research essay.

5.Communicate effectively orally by discussing and debating theoretical
propositions, methodologies and legal problems.

6. Critically analyse principles of law and their application.

Students will be required to read cases, legislation, journal articles, reports and book
chapters and in addition, they will be required to read materials from foreign
jurisdictions. Some of the required reading material will offer Indigenous
perspectives and be authored by Indigenous scholars/commentators. There is no
one text book but the following are leading texts:

Richard Bartlett, Native Title in Australia (3rd
ed 2014)

John Borrows and Leonard Rotman, Aboriginal
Legal Issues: Cases, Materials and Commentary (2012)

PG McHugh, Aboriginal Title: the Modern
Jurisprudence of Tribal Land Rights (2011)

Larissa Behrendt, Achieving Social Justice: Indigenous Rights
and Australia’s Future


Duncan Ivison, Paul Patton
and Will Sanders, Political Theory and
the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2000, CUP)

Heather McCrae, Garth
Nettheim, Laura Beacroft and Luke McNamara, Indigenous
Legal Issues: commentary and Materials (4th ed, 2009, Thomson Lawbook Co)

Melissa Perry and Stephen
Lloyd, Australian Native Title Law
(2003, Lawbook Co)

Peter Sutton, Native Title in Australia: an Ethnographic
Perspective (2003, CUP)

The course involves a mandatory 2-3 day field trip in the week of 17-21 September 2018 (Dates to be confirmed). The field trip will cost each student approximately $260-$280 to cover transport, accommodation, the guide and some meals.

Please contact the course coordinator if this cost is likely to pose a barrier to your enrolment - we will seek out funding to assist those students who can show financial stress.

Before the field trip we will meet to discuss the logistics of the field trip and to reflect on Indigenous methodologies/epistemologies.

Following the field trip we will have 4 intensive days in the class room (six hours each). It is expected that students will attend at least three out of four intensive days.

Enrolments in this course are capped because due to limited accommodation available for the field trip.

This course involves 36 hours of teaching time. 26 hours will be in the classroom while
10 hours will be on-country. Students will be required to spend about 72 hour
preparing for class, 5 hours on the reflection, 5 hours preparing for the
presentation and 30-50 hours on the research essay.

The Learning Activities will include a mandatory field trip involving on-country engagement with Aboriginal native title claimants, a workshop on competing epistemologies (2 hours) and four intensive days (6 hours each) in the classroom looking at topical native title issues in Australia and other settler states.

Class 1 and 2 Study trip to meet claimants; workshop on competing epistemologies

Class 3 –Real Property Law and Native Title Law

Class 4 – Proof of Native Title

Class 5 –Land Rights and the Politics of Native Title

Class 6 – Comparative Native Title Law

Assessment Task	Task Type	Weighting	Word Count / Time	Due	Learning Outcome
Participation	Individual (non-redeemable) Summative	10%	Throughout the course	Throughout the course	1, 2, 3, 5, 6
Reflection	Individual (non-redeemable) Summative	10%	750 words	Monday 24th September 2018 at 9am	1, 2, 3, 4, 6
Presentation	Individual (non-redeemable) Summative	10%	3-5 minutes	On various dates of intensive teaching	1, 2, 3, 5, 6
Research Essay	Individual (non-redeemable) Summative	70%	5,000 words	Friday 2nd November at 2pm	1, 2, 3, 4, 6

Students must attend the 2-3 day field trip in order to complete the course. This is a hurdle requirement.
The field trip is designed to give students a tangible understanding of the land which is the subject of a native title claim and also an understanding of Aboriginal connections with land.

The field trip will cost approximately $260 (TBC) which will cover the cost of transport, some meals, accommodation and the guide. Please contact the course coordinator if the cost of the field trip is likely to pose a barrier in your enrolment in the course.


Class Participation (10%)

The class participation mark is comprised of attendance, level of preparation and
contribution to small and large group discussions. Students must attend at
least 2 out of 4 intensive days in the classroom in order to receive a pass for
this item of assessment.

Reflection (10%, 750 words)

For the Reflection mark students will write a reflection on the study trip of no
more than 750 words. Students will receive some questions to guide their
reflections.

Presentation (10%, 3-5 minutes)

Students will be required to give a 3-5 minute presentation in the class during the 4
intensive days in the classroom. Students will be given materials to assist
them prepare the presentation which will involve a role play. The presentation
should be interactive where possible and classmates will have the opportunity
to ask questions.

Research Paper (70%, 5,000 words)

For this research essay, students will undertake a substantial amount of
independent research on a topic of their choice from a list of topics provided.
Students will be given scope to include a comparative aspect to their research.
Students will be evaluated on their ability to provide balanced and well-
reasoned argument, their ability to demonstrate critical thinking skills, their
ability to use materials that are relevant, credible and up to date.

Students must retain a copy of all assignments submitted.

All assignments in this course are to be submitted in hard copy and electronically through Turnitin. All hardcopy submissions must be accompanied by the Assignment Cover Sheet that sets out the word length, and contains a signed declaration that the assignment consists of the student’s own work. A student’s results will be withheld until such time as the student has signed the Assignment Cover Sheet. Markers can refuse to accept assignments which do not have a signed acknowledgement of the University’s policy on plagiarism.

Details for electronic submission through Turnitin will be provided with the assignment instructions.

All written work in the Law school is required to comply with the approved Law School style guide, The Australian Guide to Legal Citation.

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 unexpected circumstances.

Penalties:

1. Late Submission: Submission penalties of 5% (of the total mark of the assignment) each day (or part thereof) will be deducted for late submission (including weekends and public holidays), (ie an essay graded 63% will have 5 % deducted if it is one day late, for a final mark of 58%, 10% if it is two days, etc).
2. Word Length: Assignments which exceed the allocated length (word length or page limit) will be subject to a penalty of 5% of total marks available per 100 words or part thereof (ie 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.  Quotations and all referencing information are included in the word count.

Turnaround time: The interim assignment for this course will be returned to students within 2 weeks of the submission date. Group feedback, together with written, individual feedback will be provided, from which students can learn from in the final assignment. The final assignment will be returned to students within 4 weeks of the submission date with written individual feedback. Students will be notified by email when assignments are ready for collection from the Law School Front Office.

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.