Undergraduate - UnitLAW4196 - Consumer law

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2013 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 3, 0.125 EFTSL

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Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Law
Offered	Clayton First semester 2013 (Day)

Synopsis

The unit will consider the main issues facing consumers purchasing goods or services:

misinformation
unsatisfactory goods and services
defective and dangerous goods
unfair contracts.

The unit will consider the various regulatory responses to these issues, typically:

non-legal controls e.g. codes of conduct
private law e.g. manufacturers' and retailers' liability for goods; unconscionable conduct
public law e.g. Trade Practices Act 1974. The course will consider how these various responses impact upon particular factual problems and will crucially assess the merits of the various responses to consumer issues using, economic and welfarist perspectives.

Outcomes

The jurisdictions to be examined will be: Common Law: Australia, New Zealand, Canada; Common Law/Civil law: South Africa.

Assessment

Final take-home examination (max 3,500 words): 70%; research essay (1500 words): 30% OR the option of a take home examination (mid semester take home exam, max 1,500 words and end of semester take home exam, max 3,500 words): 100%.

Chief examiner(s)

Professor Justin Malbon

Contact hours

Three hours of lectures per week

Prerequisites

LAW1100 or LAW1101 and LAW1102 OR LAW1104; LAW2100 or LAW2101 and LAW2102