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Constitutions in Global Perspective (LAWS90218)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 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
February
Lecturers
Adrienne Stone (Coordinator)
Maarje de Visser
Email: law-masters@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: 13 MELB (13 6352), International: +(61 3) 9035 5511
Website: law.unimelb.edu.au
Overview
Availability(Quotas apply) | February |
---|---|
Fees | Look up fees |
This subject canvasses 11 of the most challenging current questions in comparative constitutional law. It does so from a global perspective, which appreciates the diversity of constitutional arrangements across the world while acknowledging their interconnections and their many shared problems. The issues on which the subject focusses in 2021 range across questions of method to problems of substance and will be explored both conceptually and empirically. Topics include, for example, comparative constitutional methods, constitutional identity, constitutional pluralism and constituent power. Each seminar is led by a comparative scholar affiliated with Melbourne Law School, drawing on the resources of one of the leading comparative constitutional law centres in the world.
Principal topics are likely to include:
- Comparative constitutional methods
- Pluralism
- The global south in comparative constitutional law
- Constitutional interpretation
- Constitutional amendment
- Comparing federations
- Constitutional repair after democratic decay
- Environmental constitutionalism
- Limitations on rights
- Guarantor institutions
- Global constitutionalism
- Future directions
The subject is coordinated by Cheryl Saunders and Anna Dziedzic, who will ensure interlinkages between seminars and will draw the subject together in a final seminar on future directions. The subject should be of considerable interest to Australian and international students from all regions of the world.
Intended learning outcomes
A student who has successfully completed this subject will:
- Have an advanced understanding of theory, method and practice in comparative constitutional law
- Be able to engage critically with discussion and analysis in relation to key issues canvassed in this subject
- Be familiar with, and be able to apply to other contexts, insights from significant themes that run across one or more seminars including, for example, questions about culture and context; the tension between localism and universalism; and the links between domestic constitutional and international law
- Be well-placed to anticipate and apply analytical skills to other problems of method and substance in comparative constitutional law
- Understand the insights that can be derived for domestic constitutional arrangements from comparative experience, properly applied
- Be aware of the extent to which democratic constitutional systems share broadly comparable challenges, despite differences in context
Generic skills
Generic skills that will be developed through successful completion of this subject include:
- A capacity to understand and apply, at an advanced level, methods of comparative constitutional law that are appropriate for the purpose sought
- The ability to think conceptually and analytically about comparative constitutional law
- The ability to think conceptually and analytically about the relationship between domestic constitutional and international law
- An appreciation of how and why constitutional systems vary and evolve over time
- Advanced research skills in understanding and explaining issues involving comparative constitutional law in sufficient detail to be reliable for the purposes of sustaining an argument
- An ability to think creatively about problems and solutions for complex challenges in comparative constitutional law
- Advanced skills in researching issues in comparative constitutional law
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
Students must meet one of the following prerequisite options:
Option 1
Admission into a Melbourne Law Masters program
AND
Constitutional law, administrative law at the level of a first law degree.
Option 2
Admission into the MC-JURISD Juris Doctor
AND
All of
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
LAWS50028 | Constitutional Law | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
LAWS50032 | Administrative Law | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
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: 31 January 2024
Assessment
Description | Timing | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Option 1: Take-home examination
| 19 - 22 April 2024 | 100% |
Option 2: Research paper on a topic approved by the subject coordinator
| 15 May 2024 | 100% |
Hurdle requirement: A minimum of 75% attendance is required. | N/A |
Additional details
Note: Students must choose assessment from the options listed above. If an option contains parts, all parts must be completed if that option is chosen.
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Quotas apply to this subject
Dates & times
- February
Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours Total time commitment 150 hours Pre teaching start date 31 January 2024 Pre teaching requirements Please refer to the Reading Guide on the LMS subject page for confirmation of which resources need to be read and what other preparation is required before the teaching period commences. Teaching period 28 February 2024 to 5 March 2024 Last self-enrol date 5 February 2024 Census date 29 February 2024 Last date to withdraw without fail 5 April 2024 Assessment period ends 15 May 2024 February contact information
Lecturers
Adrienne Stone (Coordinator)
Maarje de VisserEmail: law-masters@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: 13 MELB (13 6352), International: +(61 3) 9035 5511
Website: law.unimelb.edu.au
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.
Additional delivery details
This subject has a quota of 30 students.
Enrolment is on a 'first in' basis. Waitlists are maintained for subjects that are fully subscribed.
Students should note priority of waitlisted 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.
Melbourne Law School may reserve places in a subject for incoming international cohorts or where a subject is core to a specialisation with limited alternate options.
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
Specialist materials will be made available via the LMS in the pre-teaching period.
- Links to additional information
- 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-masters@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: 31 January 2024