Course specification for LAW5323

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LAW5323 Advanced Research Project

Semester 1, 2020 Online
Short Description: Advanced Research Project
Units : 1
Faculty or Section : Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts
School or Department : School of Law and Justice
Student contribution band : Band 3
ASCED code : 090900 - Law
Grading basis : Graded

Staffing

Examiner:

Requisites

Pre-requisite: LAW8001 (only for students commencing 2014 onwards)

Other requisites

Students taking this course are expected to have completed at least 16 core law courses. It is also highly recommended that this course be taken in the last semester of the student’s enrolment in the program.

Students are required to have access to a personal computer, e-mail capabilities and Internet access to UConnect. Current details of computer requirements can be found at .

Rationale

Being a major research course, this course provides students with opportunities to draw together aspects of their learning throughout the program, demonstrating their level of understanding of law, legal policy and legal processes, as well as a variety of legal and generic skills. This course represents a culmination of student learning experiences in preparation for professional legal careers or other occupations.

Synopsis

The advanced research project involves students undertaking a major project that involves initiative, organisation, research and other activities that may include analysis, problem-solving, reflection, written and oral communication, teamwork, interpersonal skills and ethical inquiry. The course is intended to provide students with an advanced legal research experience that requires and allows them to demonstrate detailed legal knowledge, together with various skills, in multiple areas as they prepare to complete and exit the law program.

Objectives

On successful completion of this course, students should:

  1. be able to demonstrate their ability to address and engage with a complex legal or social issue or problem and to generate justifiable solutions or answers as required;
  2. have achieved an advanced understanding of a specialised area of law or of interlinked areas of law;
  3. have demonstrated advanced evaluative, critical thinking and reflective skills in the approach taken to the legal or social issue or problem addressed in the project;
  4. be able to demonstrate an advanced capacity to apply theoretical knowledge to complex legal or social questions or problems;
  5. be able to present the project outcomes both in writing and orally and to a high standard.

Topics

Description Weighting(%)
1. Enhanced knowledge and understanding in selected fields of law, together with highly developed research, writing and other skills 100.00

Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2020&sem=01&subject1=LAW5323)

Please for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)

Given the project nature of the course, there are no prescribed texts or other materials that need to be purchased.

Reference materials

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.
Asprey, M 2010, Plain language for lawyers, 4th edn, Federation Press, Annandale, New South Wales.
Bott, B & Talbot-Stokes, R 2018, Nemes and Coss' effective legal research, 7th edn, LexisNexis Butterworths, Chatswood, New South Wales.
Campbell, E, Fox, R & de Zwart, M 2010, Students' guide to legal writing, law exams and self assessment, 3rd edn, Federation Press, Annandale, New South Wales.
Hutchinson, T 2017, Researching and writing in law, 4th edn, LawBook Co, Pyrmont, New South Wales.
The recommended references may be useful given the research and writing dimensions of the project.

Student workload expectations

Activity Hours
Assessments 60.00
Directed ¾«¶«´«Ã½app 20.00
Private ¾«¶«´«Ã½app 80.00

Assessment details

Description Marks out of Wtg (%) Due Date Notes
PROJECT REPORT 100 100 29 May 2020

Important assessment information

  1. Attendance requirements:
    There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students' responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.

  2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
    To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks. (Depending upon the requirements in Statement 4 below, students may not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to receive a passing grade in this course.)

  3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
    Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4)

  4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
    To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.

  5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
    The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.

  6. Examination information:
    There is no examination in this course.

  7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
    Not applicable.

  8. ¾«¶«´«Ã½app Student Policies:
    Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene ¾«¶«´«Ã½app policies and practices. These policies can be found at .

Assessment notes

  1. Referencing in assignments:
    Students studying this course must use the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (AGLC) style. For AGLC style guide enquiries, consult the AGLC manual from the USQ Library's referencing guide at or contact the Law librarian.

Date printed 19 June 2020