Australian Legal System in Context

Unit code: BLB1101 | Study level: Undergraduate
12
(Generally, 1 credit = 10 hours of classes and independent study.)
City Campus
Online Real Time
Online Self-Paced
N/A
Overview
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Overview

This foundation unit introduces students to the 'nuts and bolts' of the Australian Legal system and legal reasoning. In addition, it offers a selection of socio-political contexts within which to situate and critically evaluate the contemporary Australian legal system. This unit provides a foundation for the study of law at Victoria University and, as such, successful completion is a pre-requisite for progression through the Law course.



This unit:

  • Provides students with a working foundation in the technical structure of Australian legal systems and legal reasoning, using applied practical teaching and learning methods;

  • Exposes students to ways of making sense of Australian legal systems and legal process in a legal academic way, using selected contexts from criminal and private law;
  • Introduces students to the broader contexts in which legal issues may arise, including the political, social, historical, philosophical and economic contexts; and
  • Inducts students in the ways of the lawyer, including and legal reasoning and appropriate language use and structure using reflective, applied and theory-based teaching and learning methods.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

  1. Analyse the components of Australian legal systems, and elaborate how these components intersect and interact, and how lawyers use these systems;
  2. Communicate using appropriate professional legal language and express ideas and perspectives;
  3. Situate and analyse Australian legal systems within broader contemporary social and political contexts;
  4. Articulate and write about law in a coherent and professional way; and
  5. Work collaboratively and independently to use legal reasoning, (including statutory interpretation and application of case law) to create and present logical structured answers to problem-style legal questions.
  6. Participate in an academic community through reflective and critical engagement in academic texts and understanding of principles of academic integrity.

Assessment

For Melbourne campuses

Hurdle assessment task: Completion of five Academic Integrity Modules

Assessment type: Test
|
Grade: 10%
Quiz 1
Assessment type: Assignment
|
Grade: 30%
Research assignment
Assessment type: Assignment
|
Grade: 50%
Critical Reflection and Legal Reasoning Task
Assessment type: Test
|
Grade: 10%
Final Quiz
Assessment type: Other
|
Grade: 0%
Evidence of completion of the Academic Integrity Modules

Required reading

Foundations of Australian Law and Legal Writing: A custom publication for Victoria University,
Raponi, K,de Saint, J, O’Sullivan, C, (eds) (2022),| LexisNexis
Australian Guide to Legal Citation
Melbourne University Law Review Association| Available in hard copy or online: http://www.law.unimelb.edu.au/mulr/aglc

As part of a course

This unit is studied as part of the following course(s):

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