Source: https://www.adelaide.edu.au/course-outlines/104943/1/sem-1/2016/
Timestamp: 2019-10-14 10:59:00
Document Index: 136118105

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 1', 'art 2', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 1', 'art 2']

This course provides a foundation in the core legal skills of case reading and analysis, legal research, statutory interpretation and problem solving.
Course Coordinator: Dr Adam Webster
The course introduces students to a range of foundational skills that are necessary for the successful study of law. A student successfully completing the course will be able to demonstrate an ability to:
Work in groups to solve problems, prepare written documents, and prepare a presentation or debate on a topic in legal theory;
Foundations of Law, Lecture and Seminar Guide
Foundations of Law, Course Readings
Australian Guide to Legal Citation (3rd ed, 2010) Melbourne University Law Review Association, Melbourne (available for viewing on the web at http://law.unimelb.edu.au/mulr/aglc/about and available for purchase). A link has also been placed in the ‘Additional Materials’ folder on the MyUni subject website).
A dictionary of legal terms such as Lexis Nexis, Concise Australian Legal Dictionary (4th ed, 2011) or Oxford, Australian Law Dictionary (2010). Again this is a resource students will find useful throughout their degree.
In addition to attending formal classes it is anticipated that students will do substantial independent work to prepare for classes and to complete the course assignments. Students should expect to spend about 4 – 6 hours a week reading and preparing materials for lectures and seminars. In addition, students will expect to spend between 4-6 hours attending Court and preparing a report, 3-5 hours preparing for and completing the quiz, 10-14 hours preparing the Analysis and Interpretation assignment, and 4 – 8 hours preparing the Group Debate. Students will require about 18 to 25 hours to prepare for the exam.
Week 1 Tues 4pm:
The Concept of Law/Sources of Law
Thurs 11am:
Legal research and writing Introducing law school/planning your court report
Tues 4pm:
The Legal Profession/Case Analysis (Part 1)
Thur 11am
Case Analysis (Part 2) Sources of Law Legal Research
Thurs 11am: Statutory interpretation Understanding the legal profession/How to cite Case analysis (Part 1) FOL case report due
Statutory interpretation Case Analysis (Part 2) FOL Research quiz open
open Monday Week 4 9am until Friday Week 4 5pm
Week 5 Thurs 11am: Statutory interpretation Statutory interpretation
Thurs 11am: Legal Theory Statutory interpretation
MODULE C: LEGAL THEORY
Week 7 Thurs 11am
Legal Theory No seminar FOL Analysis and Interpretation Assignment due
Week 8 Thurs 11am
Legal Theory Understanding legal theory
Week 9 No Lecture Understanding legal theory
Week 10 Statutory Interpretation Assignment Feedback Legal Theory Presentations
Week 11 No lecture No seminar
Week 12 Exam No seminar
Redeemable in the exam
Due Tuesday Week 3 at 2 pm
Yes redeemable (40% or bona fide effort)
To be completed between 9am Monday 5pm Friday Week 4
Advocacy Exercise (Presentation/Debate)
Analysis and Interpretation Exercise
Due Tuesday Week 7 at 2 pm
In the Examination Period
120 minutes plus 10 minutes reading time
Students must attend 9 of the 12 seminars. Students should let their seminar leader know if they are unable to attend a seminar. Student will be expected to work in small groups in the seminars. Assessment tasks (such as the Court Report and Legal Theory Presentations) will be conducted in groups.
In order to redeem interim assessment marks a student must achieve 40% or a bona fide effort as assessed by the course coordinator in the interim assessment.
Marks achieved in the interim assessment will be added together and make up the interim mark in the subject. The interim mark will count for 50% of the final mark with the examination result making up the other 50%. If students are entitled to redeem their interim assessment mark, and they perform better in the examination, their final mark will be their examination mark (ie the exam will count for 100%).
Student groups are required to observe a South Australian Court while in session and each group must submit a report based on their observations that responds to specific questions. Instructions and questions to be answered will be posted on MyUni in week one. The reports must be submitted by Tuesday of Week 3 at 2 pm and are worth 5% of the grade for the course.
Students are required to complete a 10 question quiz in Week 4 to test their research skills.
Advocacy Skills - Debate/Presentation (10%)
In the seminar in week 10 students will participate in an advocacy exercise. The exercise will take the form of a debate or presentation and students will apply legal theory to practical problems. This exercise will be conducted in groups.
Analysis and Interpretation Exercise (30%)
The Analysis and Interpretation Exercise comprises two parts. In part 1 students will be given a passage from a judgment in a case relating to legal and professional ethics, and will be required to answer questions similar to those modelled in the seminars on case analysis. In part 2 students will undertake a simple process of statutory interpretation in a form similar to the exercises undertaken in seminars. Detailed instructions with marking criteria will be distributed with the Exercise. The assignment must be submitted by Tuesday of Week 7 at 2 pm.
Exam (50% or 100%)