Unit Outline

This unit builds on Criminal Law 1: Principles and Processes. It draws students into deeper analyses of doctrinal criminal law through studying homicide, sexual offences, drug offences, serious driving offences and property offences. This unit also introduces you to the framework the criminal law uses for prosecuting more than one person for being ‘a party’ to an offence in some way. In some sections of the unit you will encounter advanced concepts, such as determining whether killing someone already thought to be dead constitutes murder. Since the criminal laws studied are contained in Tasmanian and Australian legislation, the unit enhances students’ skills in statutory interpretation, which are highly valued in various professional settings.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1	Recall and summarise legal definitions, the outcomes of court cases, and the facts that need to be proven to establish guilt for different criminal offences
2	Examine the reasoning behind a particular judgment, principle, proposition or interpretation from the perspective of lawyers representing the prosecution and the accused
3	Predict how a court might decide a question of law given a certain factual situation and conflicting legal opinion regarding the correct interpretation of criminal law statutes
4	Explain orally and in writing the relevant law and application to factual context

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	50 credit points of Introductory Law core (or LAW107 and LAW108) and LAW229

Alterations as a result of student feedback

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Assessment Task 2: Seminar Participation	See the MyLO site for the due date	20 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Assessment Task 4: Examination	See the MyLO site for the due date	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Assessment Task 3: Seminar Paper	See the MyLO site for the due date	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Assessment Task 2: Seminar Participation

Task Description:

Seminar participation throughout the semester. The participation mark will also incorporate the 5 minute presentation summarising legal arguments for either Prosecution or Defence

Task Length:

50 minutes per tutorial

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Accuracy of explanation of relevant legal principles	LO1, LO4
2	Ability to explain and apply legal rules to factual scenario	LO3, LO4
3	Critical reasoning and reflection on principles of criminal responsibility	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment Task 2: Assessment Task 4: Examination

Task Description:

End of semester invigilated open book exam

Task Length:

2 hours

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Ability to identify legal issues	LO1, LO3
2	Ability to explain and apply legal rules to factual scenario	LO2, LO3, LO4
3	Critical reasoning and reflection on principles of criminal responsibility	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment Task 3: Assessment Task 3: Seminar Paper

Task Description:

Seminar paper

Task Length:

2,000 words

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Ability to identify legal issues	LO1, LO3
2	Ability to explain and apply legal rules to factual scenario	LO2, LO3, LO4
3	Critical reasoning and reflection on principles of criminal responsibility	LO2, LO3

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.