LAW5001 - Principles of criminal law and procedure - 2019

6 points, SCA Band 3, 0.125 EFTSL

Postgraduate - Unit

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

Faculty

Law

Chief examiner(s)

Professor Liz Campbell (Trimester 1 and Trimester 3)
Ms Rachel Kessel (Trimester 2)

Quota applies

Postgraduate programs are based on a model of small group teaching and therefore class sizes need to be restricted.

Unit guides

Offered

City (Melbourne)

  • Trimester 1 2019 (On-campus)
  • Trimester 2 2019 (On-campus)
  • Trimester 3 2019 (On-campus)

Co-requisites

LAW5080 or LAW5000 or LAW5081

Notes

For postgraduate Law discontinuation dates, please see http://www.monash.edu/law/current-students/postgraduate/pg-jd-discontinuation-dates

For postgraduate Law unit timetables, please see http://law.monash.edu.au/current-students/course-unit-information/timetables/postgraduate/index.html

Previously coded as LAW7264

Synopsis

The unit examines the principles and aims of the criminal law and criminal procedure. Students study the definition and elements of crimes in the context of fatal and non-fatal offences against the person, the major sexual offences, property offences, and relevant defences; criminal responsibility and strict liability; the roles of principal agencies in the criminal justice system, and central elements of the criminal process and sentencing.

Outcomes

At the successful completion of this unit students will be able to:

  1. critically evaluate the purpose and scope of criminal laws with reference to theories of criminal justice, inter-disciplinary and policy perspectives;
  2. recognise and reflect upon ethical issues arising in criminal law practice and the professional responsibilities of lawyers in promoting justice and service to the community;
  3. demonstrate legal research and reasoning skills and professional judgment to generate appropriate responses to complex legal problems
  4. identify and articulate complex legal issues, engage in critical analysis of professional conclusions and make reasoned choices among alternatives;
  5. demonstrate cognitive and creative skills to generate appropriate responses to legal issues;
  6. demonstrate skills of oral and or/written communication to address legal problems in a collaborative project; and
  7. critically reflect on their own strengths, weaknesses and development needs as a legal professional.

Assessment

  1. Examination (2 hours plus 30 minutes reading time): 50%
  2. Legal problem-solving assignment (2,250 words): 30%
  3. Oral presentation: collaborative project: 10%
  4. Reflective report (750 words): 10%

Workload requirements

LAW5001 - Students enrolled in this unit will be provided with 30 contact hours of seminars per semester whether intensive, semi-intensive, or semester-long offering plus 6 hours of tutorials. Students will be expected to do reading set for class, and to undertake additional research and reading applicable to a 6 credit point unit.