Course Title: Work in Legal Environment
Part B: Course Detail
Teaching Period: Term1 2010
Course Code: JUST5142
Course Title: Work in Legal Environment
School: 365T Global Studies, Soc Sci & Plng
Campus: City Campus
Program: C6077 - Advanced Diploma of Justice
Course Contact : Gerogy dumas
Course Contact Phone: +61 3 99254203
Course Contact Email:georgy.dumas@rmit.edu.au
Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff
Georgy Dumas
Location: Building 51 level 2
Phone: 9925-4203
Nominal Hours: 75
Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.
Pre-requisites and Co-requisites
There are no Pre-requisites for this course.
Course Description
This course provides an overview of the Victorian and Australian legal environment, including law making bodies, the adjudication and enforcement process, and various aspects of the law and procedures
National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria
National Element Code & Title: |
VBQU367 Work in Legal Environment |
Element: |
1. Evaluate the origins and sources of law in Australia |
Performance Criteria: |
1.1 State and Commonwealth laws and constitutions are identified. |
Element: |
10. Evaluate the various law enforcement processes and agencies and the effectiveness of each system |
Performance Criteria: |
10.1 Identify the various law enforcement agencies. |
Element: |
2. Analyse the type of Law/Regulations that are in operation within Australia. |
Performance Criteria: |
2.1 The types of law that are currently in operation throughout Australia are examined. |
Element: |
3. Analyse Australia's Federal system of Government, its law making powers and the main features of the Australian and Victorian Constitutions. |
Performance Criteria: |
3.1 The process of Federation is examined: the reasons for Federation and the objectives of Federation. |
Element: |
4. Apply the Principles of Civil, Criminal Law and Family Law. |
Performance Criteria: |
4.1 The main aims and objectives of Criminal, Civil and Family Law are investigated. |
Element: |
5. Analyse the administration of the law at various jurisdictional levels. |
Performance Criteria: |
5.1 The structure, jurisdiction and appeal processes of Australian courts and tribunals are analysed. |
Element: |
6. Evaluate the approaches applied by the courts in relation to the interpretation of Statutes. |
Performance Criteria: |
6.1 The different approaches to statutory interpretation are analysed. |
Element: |
7. Examine the role of precedent and identify the Ratio Decidendi and Obiter Dicta of a court decision. |
Performance Criteria: |
7.1 The role of precedent in the legal system is evaluated. |
Element: |
8. Analyse the Common Law and legislative provisions under which administrative actions may be reviewed. |
Performance Criteria: |
8.1 The grounds on which an administrative decision may be challenged in the courts is examined. |
Element: |
9. Investigate the ways in which the courts may be prepared to review the actions of non-government bodies. |
Performance Criteria: |
9.1 The circumstances in which judicial review of a non-government body may be available are clarified. |
Learning Outcomes
See elements
Details of Learning Activities
Students will participate in weekly case studies and class discussions
Students will have progressive fortnightly theory and practice tests, a mid-term and end of term exam
Students will be expected to conduct research and complete written hurdle tasks on specific topics or areas of law and its application
Students are also required to attend a compulsory Justice Camp on 10th to 12th March 2010 to analyse the role of Federation and passsing an Act of Parliament
Teaching Schedule
Week One: The origins of Law
Week Two: The concepts of Federalism and the structure of Commonwealth Law.
Week Three:The difference and jurisdiction between Commonwealth and State law
Week Four: Separation of powers
Week Five: The limits of Commonwealth Law.
Week Six: The process of creating and passing an Act of Parliament
Week Seven: the principles of Civil, Criminal and Family Law
Week Eight: The Law of Torts and the Law of Contracts
Week Nine: Interpretation of stature and precedent-Obiter Dicta and Ratio Descendi
Week Ten: Common and Administrative law and how they are reviewed.
Week Eleven: The Principle of Natural Justice
Week Twelve: Reviews of non-government bodies
Week Thirteen: Victorian law hierarchies and functions
Week Fourteen: Magistrate’s Court-Summary Offences Act, Occuaptional Health and Safety Act, Children’s Court-Family Violence-the role of this court and the interpretationof offences.
Week Fifteen: The County Court, the Crimes Act, Civil jurisdictions and Appellate role
Week Sixteen: The Supreme Court and Court of Appeal-role, function
Week Seventeen: Revision
Learning Resources
Prescribed Texts
Victorian Criminal Procedures By Richard Fox, Monash University press-available at the RMIT Bookshop. Students may also wish to visit the Clayton or Caulfield campuses of Monash to access second hand copies at a reduced cost. this text will be used for all law couses in this program |
References
Other Resources
Students will be given handouts and guides to this course but are expected to read more widely. RMIT University has an extensive collection of texts on related to ’Work in a Legal Environment’ and the TAFE library staff can assist students to locate useful materials.
Overview of Assessment
Assessment taks for this course includes the following:
- Weekly participation in Case Studies
- Weekly "Challenge" tests to support progressive knowledge base and application
- Hurdle tasks-short written responses to topics
- End of term comprehensive examination
Assessment Tasks
Assessment taks for this course includes the following:
Task 1: Weekly participation in Case Studies
Task 2: Weekly "Challenge" tests to support progressive knowledge base and application. This tests will be assessed in classroom
Task 3: Week 6 Hurdle tasks-short written responses to topics
Task 4: Week 14 End of term comprehensive examination s above
Assessment Matrix
Other Information
You are required to attend weekly class sessions to be able to satisfactorily meet the learning outcomes
Course Overview: Access Course Overview