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Legal Language (LAWS20008)
Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable (login required)(opens in new window)
Contact information
Semester 1
Overview
Availability | Semester 1 |
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Fees | Look up fees |
This subject explores the cultural and institutional languages within which contemporary law is communicated, expressed and understood. Official and unofficial texts of law are situated in relation with literature, music and podcasts, photography and other visual arts, as well as architecture and urban design. Our examples are selected to provide a representative sample of the main areas of legal study, such as criminal law, contract and torts, equity, administrative and constitutional law, jurisprudence, treaty and native title. Throughout, the justice of the case will be evaluated.
In any given year, the teaching of the subject will select from the following topics amongst others:
- Reading the texts of law
- Law like literature
- Law as a culture of argument
- Equity, commerce and the language of conscience
- Legal place-making: courts and legal precincts
- Access to justice: standing before the law
- The reason and rhetoric of legal judgment
- Torts, neighbours and common law
- Encounters with indigenous laws
- Defamation, data association and search engines
- Giving and taking offence: offensive language laws
- Visual evidence and acoustic justice
Intended learning outcomes
A student who has successfully completed this subject should have an understanding of how law is variously expressed and represented in contemporary legal culture.
Specifically, the student will be able to reflect on and evaluate:
- Interdisciplinary approaches to law;
- The conduct of judgment in a common law tradition.
- The legal cultures of argument;
In addition, a student will have obtained:
- a knowledge of the basic divisions of legal subject areas;
- in-depth knowledge of at least one case study discussed in the subject;
- an awareness of the institutional and cultural contexts within which law takes place;
- an increased facility with the skills of legal writing and reading.
Generic skills
On completion of the subject the student should have:
- Capacity for self-directed learning, specifically the ability to plan work and use time effectively;
- analytical and rhetorical skills of argument and advocacy;
- ability to speak about complex ideas in a clear and cogent manner;
- an awareness of diversity and plurality;
- write essays which develop structured argumentation; and
- capacity to judge the worth of their own arguments.
Last updated: 11 April 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
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: 11 April 2024
Assessment
Description | Timing | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Class participation | During the teaching period | 10% |
Interim essay
| Due within the first seven weeks of semester | 25% |
Final Essay
| During the examination period | 65% |
Additional details
The due dates of the above assessment will be available to students via the LMS subject page.
Last updated: 11 April 2024
Dates & times
- Semester 1
Principal coordinator Peter Rush Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours Total time commitment 144 hours Teaching period 26 February 2024 to 26 May 2024 Last self-enrol date 8 March 2024 Census date 3 April 2024 Last date to withdraw without fail 3 May 2024 Assessment period ends 21 June 2024 Semester 1 contact information
Time commitment details
144 hours
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.
Last updated: 11 April 2024
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
- Specialist materials may be made available via the LMS.
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Minor Law and Justice minor - Breadth options
This subject is available as breadth in the following courses:
- Bachelor of Arts
- Bachelor of Biomedicine
- Bachelor of Commerce
- Bachelor of Design
- Bachelor of Environments
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Animation)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film and Television)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music Theatre)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Production)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Screenwriting)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Theatre)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Art)
- Bachelor of Science
- 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.
Additional information for this subject
If required, please contact law-admissions@unimelb.edu.au for subject coordinator approval.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
This subject is available to students studying at the University from eligible overseas institutions on exchange and study abroad. Students are required to satisfy any listed requirements, such as pre- and co-requisites, for enrolment in the subject.
Last updated: 11 April 2024