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Law, Science and Technology (LAWS90129)

Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)

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Overview

Availability(Quotas apply)
November
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Science and technology are at the heart of many of the most pressing legal and social problems of our day: disease prevention, bioethics, big data, state and corporate surveillance, the regulation of military technologies, and so on. This subject invites students to consider the common challenges of law, policy and public discourse posed by problems of this sort, at both the domestic and international level. In doing so, it asks: how do scientific discoveries and their technological applications shape our legal and social worlds? And how do law and society affect scientific and technological developments in turn?

The overall aim is to equip students coming from diverse backgrounds, training and experience with the analytical and critical tools necessary to understand and respond to complex questions of science and technology in all their legal, social, (geo)political, ethical, and cultural dimensions.

The lecturer undertakes research and advocacy in this area and was recently a visiting fellow at the Harvard Program on Science, Technology and Society.

Principal topics include:

  • Science and technology studies as a field
  • The relationship between ‘law’, ‘science’, ‘technology’ and ‘society’ as concepts and fields of practice
  • Biotechnology and bioethics
  • Drug patents and disease prevention
  • Big data and global surveillance
  • Military technologies
  • Public discourse around science and technology
  • The future: advocacy, law reform and other critical encounters between law, science, technology and society.

Intended learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete the subject will:

  • Have an advanced and detailed knowledge of a range of analytical tools and concepts that may be applied in diverse contexts concerning the interactions between law, science, technology and society
  • Have a sophisticated appreciation of the challenges involved in regulating science and technology at a global scale
  • Have the capacity and skills to critically appraise encounters between law, science and technology across both domestic and international jurisdictions
  • Have the capacity to critically examine, analyse, interpret and assess the effects, both intended and unintended, of regulatory responses to scientific discoveries and their technological applications
  • Have an advanced and integrated understanding of the specific legal, social, political, ethical, and cultural dimensions of several key case studies considered throughout the course
  • Be an engaged participant in debates around the co-production of science, technology, law and society.

Last updated: 3 November 2022

Eligibility and requirements

Prerequisites

None

Corequisites

None

Non-allowed subjects

None

Recommended background knowledge

Applicants without legal qualifications should note that subjects are offered in the discipline of law at an advanced graduate level. While every effort will be made to meet the needs of students trained in other fields, concessions will not be made in the general level of instruction or assessment. Most subjects assume the knowledge usually acquired in a degree in law (LLB, JD or equivalent). Applicants should note that admission to some subjects in the Melbourne Law Masters will be dependent upon the individual applicant’s educational background and professional experience.

Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)

The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.

Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home

Last updated: 3 November 2022

Assessment

Additional details

  • Class participation (5%)
  • Group assignment: in-class presentation (15 - 20 mins) (10%), followed by individual written papers (1,500 words) (15%) due two weeks after final day of teaching (5 December)
  • Research paper (6,000 - 7,000 words) (70%) (13 February) on a topic approved by the subject coordinator

A minimum of 75% attendance is a hurdle requirement.

Last updated: 3 November 2022

Quotas apply to this subject

Dates & times

  • November
    Principal coordinatorJames Parker
    Mode of deliveryOn Campus (Parkville)
    Contact hours24-34 hours
    Total time commitment150 hours
    Pre teaching start date17 October 2018
    Pre teaching requirementsThe pre-teaching period commences four weeks before the subject commencement date. From this time, students are expected to access and review the Reading Guide that will be available from the LMS subject page and the subject materials provided by the subject coordinator, which will be available from Melbourne Law School. Refer to the Reading Guide for confirmation of which resources need to be read and what other preparation is required before the teaching period commences.
    Teaching period14 November 2018 to 20 November 2018
    Last self-enrol date22 October 2018
    Census date14 November 2018
    Last date to withdraw without fail 4 January 2019
    Assessment period ends13 February 2019

Additional delivery details

This subject has a quota of 30 students.

Enrolment is on a first come, first served basis. Waitlists are maintained for subjects that are fully subscribed.

Students should note priority of places in subjects will be given as follows:

  • To currently enrolled Graduate Diploma and Masters students with a satisfactory record in their degree
  • To other students enrolling on a single subject basis, eg Community Access Program (CAP) students, cross-institutional study and cross-faculty study.

Please refer to the Melbourne Law Masters website for further information about the management of subject quotas and waitlists.

Last updated: 3 November 2022

Further information

  • Texts

    Prescribed texts

    Specialist printed materials will be made available free of charge from the Melbourne Law School prior to the pre-teaching period.

  • Links to additional information

    law.unimelb.edu.au

  • Available through the Community Access Program

    About the Community Access Program (CAP)

    This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.

    Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.

Last updated: 3 November 2022