LAW 3608 - Law Research Project

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2024

This course enables students to pursue an internship opportunity involving applied legal research undertaken under the supervision of Adelaide Law School staff, either solely in collaboration with school staff members or in partnership with an external organisation. Examples of opportunities for student researchers with external partners include: the Space Security Index project (a joint initiative of Project Ploughshares, George Washington University, McGill University, and the University of Adelaide), the Australian Navigational Guide Explaining Laws for Space (ANGELS) project, projects with the International Committee of the Red Cross and collaborations through Cooperative Research Centres including the Cyber Security CRC and SmartSat CRC. Students will undertake applied legal research on a real-world project, complete reflections as they progress, and submit a research essay demonstrating the applied research skills they have mastered through participation in the course. Students and staff will be encouraged to publish and otherwise promote the outcome of their research collaborations where that does not contravene the arrangement with any external partners. Enrolment in this course will be through a competitive selection process.

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Course Details

Course Code	LAW 3608
Course	Law Research Project
Coordinating Unit	Adelaide Law School
Term	Semester 1
Level	Undergraduate Law (LLB)
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 36 hours
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange
Prerequisites	LAW 1508
Restrictions	Available to LLB students only. Enrolment is by selection only, please consult with Course Coordinator for eligibility.
Assessment	Research Essay(3500 Words), diary summaries, Participation and Project Advancement

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr David Plater

Dr David Plater
Deputy Director
South Australian Law Reform Institute
David.Plater@adelaide.edu.au

Students will also work closely with their industry internship or placement as well. For example, Dr Duncan Taylor at Forensic Science SA.

Course Timetable

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

There are no set classes or lectures.

Course Learning Outcomes

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

1. Undertake self-directed research in law, analyse and synthesise legal information and materials.
2. Apply law to complex practical issues.
3. Structure and sustain concise and cohesive written arguments for legal and generalist audiences.
4. Analyse the impact of law from policy perspectives, and in the context of social and cultural diversity.
5. Reflect on their abilities to undertake applied legal research.

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)
Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.	1, 2, 4
Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.	1, 2
Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.	3
Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.	1, 2, 3, 4
Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.	2, 4
Attribute 7: Digital capabilities Graduates are well prepared for living, learning and working in a digital society.	1
Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.	5

Learning Resources

Required Resources

There is no required text. Recommended resources will be listed on MyUni.
The suitable resources will depend on the industry internship or placement and nature of the research subject.

Recommended Resources

NA

Online Learning

Course materials and assignment instructions will be made available on MyUni.

All students are expected to check MyUni regularly to keep up to date with announcements during the semester.
Learning & Teaching Activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

This course is taught in one stream, the general stream.

GENERAL STREAM
There are no scheduled learning activities or classes for this stream. Instead, students will undertake self-directed applied legal research on the project(s) to which they are assigned, supervised by Adelaide Law School staff and/or staff of external partner organisations. Students will receive regular feedback on their performance and through their interim assessment, as well as assistance from the course coordinator in formulating and tackling their research essay question. Students are expected to act with maturity and professionalism on their placement.

Workload

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

The University expects that students will have a workload of 156 hours in each 3-unit course. Accordingly, students in this course will be expected to spend 156 hours on their course work – which will mainly be devoted to undertaking applied research on their project, with the remainder allocated to writing the assessment. An indicative allocation of time spent on the applied research is 20 days (at 7.35 hours per day = 147 hours).

Learning Activities Summary

GENERAL STREAM
There are no scheduled learning activities for this stream. Instead, students will undertake self-directed applied legal research on the project(s) to which they are assigned, supervised by Adelaide Law School staff and/or staff of external partner organisations. Students will receive regular feedback on their performance and through their interim assessment, as well as assistance from the course coordinator in formulating and tackling their research essay question.

Specific Course Requirements

NA

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 Summary - GENERAL STREAM

The specific assessment for this course, and the ultimate weightings for each piece of assessment, may change depending on the particular research internship being undertaken. This will be discussed and confirmed with students at the start of their internship. An indicative assessment schedule is:

Assessment Task	Task Type	Due	Length	Weighting	Redeemable	Learning Outcome
Research Proposal	Individual, summative	18 April 2pm	1500 words	20%	N	1, 5
Reflective Piece	Individual, summative	Friday, week 10 2pm	1000 words	10%	N	1
Research Essay	Individual, summative	Friday, week 13 2pm	5000 words	70%	N	1,2,3,4

Word limits: The word limits are a guide only. Students are permitted to go above or below the word limit without a specific word limit penalty. However, students should keep in mind that succinct and clear writing is crucial for a high quality output. Therefore, adding more content in a long winded way will lead to a lower mark compared to an output that presents its narrative succinctly.

Assessment Related Requirements

Assessment Detail

Assessment Detail - GENERAL STREAM

1. Research Proposal (1500 words incl footnotes) (20%)
The purpose of the research proposal is to enable a suitable plan to be in place for the research essay being undertaken in this course, and to enable timely and effective feedback as to the structure of the work being undertaken by a student. The research proposal should address:

• the specific research question(s) being investigated;
• offer preliminary observations on the research topic and relevant resources that have been identified;
• address any issues relating to the authorship of the research outputs anticipated from each project.
It is intended that the feedback given on a student’s research proposal will guide the manner in which the remainder of the project is undertaken, and students should anticipate that some re-working of their research plans may be required in accordance with this feedback.

2. Reflective Piece (1000 words incl footnotes) (10%)
The reflective piece should identify and analyse:
• how the internship is helping to develop students' legal skills;
• the applicable law; and
• the effectiveness of the legal processes students are observing/interacting with.

3. Research Essay (5000 words incl footnotes) (70%)
The topic of your research essay will be negotiated with the course co-ordinator, and should relate to the applied research undertaken as part of this internship. For example, if you are asked to research and write a paper for the external organisation, you may use this as the basis of your essay, as long as you have the organisation’s permission to do so. This permission is important, especially where the material you are looking at is of a confidential nature.
If you undertake research for or with an academic staff member, you may use this as the basis of your essay, as long as you discuss in advance the arrangements for publication and authorship of the results of the collaborative research. Alternatively, you can use your experience as the basis of your paper – for example, critically analyse and reflect on the application of a particular legal regime in practice.
Your research essay must have a legal focus and include legal analysis. If appropriate to the project undertaken on your internship, the course coordinator may approve the submission of a number of shorter research pieces totalling 5000 words in lieu of one essay of that length.
The research essay must comply with AGLC4.
Word limits: The word limits are a guide only. Students are permitted to go above or below the word limit without a specific word limit penalty. However, students should keep in mind that succinct and clear writing is crucial for a high quality output. Therefore, adding more content in a long winded way will lead to a lower mark compared to an output that presents its narrative succinctly.

Submission

All assessments will be submitted and monitored through text or code comparative software (e.g. Turnitin) where possible.

Standard Adelaide Law School submission requirements apply. Specific information will be provided in the assessment instructions for each item of assessment.

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.

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

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.

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 feedback
The course is constantly being updated and revised to reflect the evolution of the law, to respond to student feedback, and to engage with the latest teaching practices. Student feedback is collected each time the course is run, including through SELT reports. Due to the small number of students undertaking the course, the minimum threshold for SELT reports is not reached. As such, student feedback is sought by email and through discussions with students throughout the course. Feedback from the industry placement is also considered.
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 Integrity
All students must be familiar with the University’s Academic Integrity Policy. Academic Misconduct is a serious matter and is treated as such by the Law School and the University. Academic Misconduct (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 Integrity 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