Course Title: Torts Law

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Torts Law

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
LAW2601	City Campus	Undergraduate	660H Graduate School of Business and Law	Face-to-Face	Sem 1 2021, Sem 2 2021, Sem 1 2022, Sem 2 2022, Sem 1 2023, Sem 2 2023, Sem 1 2024

Course Coordinator: Dr Tina Popa

Course Coordinator Phone: +613 9925 0128

Course Coordinator Email: Tina.Popa@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: Building 13, Level 2

Course Coordinator Availability: By appointment

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Assumed Knowledge: Becoming a Lawyer in a Globalised World

Course Description

This course will introduce you to the law of torts, including core principles, defences and remedies. You will commence your studies by learning about the purpose and development of tort law, the role of fault in establishing liability and the relationship between common law principles and statutory schemes. You will be introduced to a range of torts, including trespass to the person, property and land, nuisance and defamation.

You will then study the tort of negligence, including the elements necessary to establish fault, applicable defences, entitlement to compensation and how the law distributes liability amongst multiple tortfeasors. The study of negligence will also focus on particular situations, such as pure economic loss, psychiatric harm, public authorities and vicarious liability. You will also be required to use critical analysis skills to critique policy and statutory reform in relation to compensation of injury and loss. 

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

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Upon successful completion of this course, you will:

CLO1: Critique the function and development of tort law in its social context, including the role of fault in establishing liability.

CLO2: Apply the tort of negligence and its defences.

CLO3: Demonstrate understanding of a representative range of other torts relating to personal, property, and economic interests and their defences.

CLO4: Apply how damages are assessed.

CLO5: Evaluate how common law and statute deal with multiple wrongdoers (for example, vicarious and concurrent liability).

CLO6: Critically discuss the complementary operation of tort law and statutory compensation schemes.

Overview of Learning Activities

To achieve the objectives this course requires you to participate in various learning activities. These activities comprise of lectures, tutorials, self-directed learning, participation through in- class and online activities, legal writing exercises, collaborating with peers on set tasks or projects, and a final examination.

Overview of Learning Resources

Various learning resources are available online through MyRMIT Studies\Canvas. The lecture notes and workshop notes are posted on Canvas.

Resources are also available online through RMIT Library databases and other facilities. Visit the RMIT library website for further details. Assistance is available online via our chat and email services, face to face at our campus libraries or via the telephone on (03) 9925 2020.

Additional resources and/or sources to assist your learning will be identified by your course coordinator and will be made available to you as required during the teaching period. 

Overview of Assessment

The assessment tasks, their weighting and the course learning outcomes to which they are aligned are as follows:

Assessment Task 1: 25%
Linked CLOs: 1, 3, 4, 6

Assessment Task 2: 25%
Linked CLOs: 2, 3, 4, 5

Assessment Task 3: 50%
Linked CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Feedback will be provided throughout the semester in class and/or in online forums through individual and group feedback on practical exercises and by individual consultation.