Unit Outline

In this capstone unit, you will consolidate your understanding of parliamentary law practice and procedure through identifying, exploring and proposing a resolution to a contemporary challenge facing the Westminster democratic model. You will also present to and discuss relevant issues with your teacher and peers as part of refining your proposition.

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.	Explain some of the key challenges facing the contemporary Westminster parliament
2.	Develop a practical research project to address one of these challenges
3.	Present a supported case for resolving a contested issue in contemporary parliamentary democracy

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	LAW702

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:	Oral Defence	See the MyLO site for the due date	20 %	LO1, LO3
Assessment Task 2:	Research Design	See the MyLO site for the due date	30 %	LO1, LO2
Assessment Task 3:	Minor thesis	See the MyLO site for the due date	50 %	LO3

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Oral Defence

Task Description:

In a seminar with your fellow students, you will defend your research proposal in an oral presentation (which may be supported by optional slides). Following your presentation, you should be prepared to respond to questions from the audience and facilitate discussion for up to 5 extra minutes.

Task Length:

10 minute presentation

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Articulate your chosen problem and justify your proposed response in a group setting	LO3
2	Facilitate group discussion relating to your topic and consider adapting your approach as relevant	LO1

Assessment Task 2: Research Design

Task Description:

In your research design, you will formulate a hypothesis and devise a research approach to test the hypothesis. This task supports outlining a structure for your thesis.

Task Length:

2000-2500 words

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Outline your research project by formulating a hypothesis in the context of your chosen topic	LO1, LO2

Assessment Task 3: Minor thesis

Task Description:

In your thesis, you will present your research findings in a thesis or extended article format in a logical and well-supported way.

Task Length:

5000-6000 words

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

50 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Analyse and critique the legal and policy implications of the issue under consideration	LO3
2	Express, structure and develop your argument in a coherent way	LO3
3	Apply legal, grammatical and formatting conventions in your writing	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.

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.