LAW4113 - Current problems in criminal law - 2018

6 points, SCA Band 3, 0.125 EFTSL

Undergraduate - Unit

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Faculty

Law

Chief examiner(s)

Natalia Antolak Saper

Unit guides

Offered

Clayton

  • Second semester 2018 (On-campus)

Prerequisites

For students who commenced their LLB course prior to 2015: LAW1104 Research and Writing, LAW1101 Introduction to Legal Reasoning, LAW3301 Criminal law and procedure A and LAW3302 Criminal law B

For students enrolled in the LLB (Hons) course from 2015: LAW1111 Foundations of Law, LAW1112 Public Law & Statutory Interpretation, LAW1113 Torts, LAW1114 Criminal Law 1,LAW2101 Contract A , LAW2102 Contract B, LAW2111 Constitutional Law, LAW2112 Property A

Synopsis

Topics will be drawn from both the general part of the criminal law, for example: automatism, insanity, intoxication, duress and entrapment; specific offences, for example, obscenity, contempt, homicide and sexual offences, and issues such as the role of the jury, sentencing and the function of the psychiatrist in the criminal process. Students will be called upon to undertake independent research.

Outcomes

Upon completion of this unit students should

  1. Define, interpret and reflect upon contemporary issues and problems in criminal law and procedure;
  2. Identify, analyse and elucidate the relevant principles, laws and precedents and apply them to resolve issues relating to clients with contemporary or advanced issues in criminal law and procedure;
  3. Critically assess policies and principles relating to the criminal law
  4. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the intellectual and practical skills needed to interpret legal conclusions and professional decisions, as well as to identify, research, evaluate and synthesise relevant factual, legal and policy issues in criminal law
  5. Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the legal research and writing, and legal argument skills by undertaking systematic research into legal policy, rules, procedures and comparative perspectives relating to criminal law and procedure; and
  6. Demonstrate developed skills of oral presentation of criminal legal policy, rules and argument in an interactive learning context

Assessment

The methods of assessment in this Unit are

  • Compulsory research assignment (2500 words): 50%
  • Examination (2 hours writing and 30 minutes reading and noting time): 50%

Workload requirements

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. The unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information