UO Foundations of Law

Course aim

This course provides an introduction to the Australian legal system, legal institutions, sources of law, with a particular focus upon the judicial system, and legal method. Fundamental legal skills in legal research, legal reasoning and problem solving will be developed, using a blended learning approach.

Course content

Areas to be examined in this course include the reception and development of the common law system in Australia; the role of international and comparative law in our legal system; the constitutional basis of the Federal/State judicial and quasi-judicial systems, and the system of court hierarchies; principles of judicial independence and accountability and the rule of law; judicial reasoning and decision making, and the doctrine of precedent; case law analysis, case law research and citation; legal method and legal problem solving.

Textbooks

James N, Field R & Walkden-Brown J 2019, The New Lawyer: Foundations of Law , 1st Edition, Wiley, Milton, Queensland

Prerequisites

Nil

Corequisite(s)

Nil

Teaching Method

Component	Duration
EXTERNAL, ONLINE ACTIVITY
Online	N/A x 10 weeks

Note: These components may or may not be scheduled in every study period. Please refer to the timetable for further details.

Assessment

Advocacy exercise, Critical analysis, Test/Quiz

Fees

EFTSL*: 0.125
Commonwealth Supported program (Band 4C)
To determine the fee for this course as part of a Commonwealth Supported program, go to:
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Fee-paying program for domestic and international students
International students and students undertaking this course as part of a postgraduate fee paying program must refer to the relevant program home page to determine the cost for undertaking this course.

Non-award enrolment
Non-award tuition fees are set by the university. To determine the cost of this course, go to:
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Not all courses are available on all of the above bases, and students must check to ensure that they are permitted to enrol in a particular course.

* Equivalent Full Time Study Load. Please note all EFTSL values are published and calculated at ten decimal places. Values are displayed to three decimal places for ease of interpretation