Unit of Study LAWS6002 Advanced Legal Research (2024)

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Unit Snapshot

Unit type

PG Coursework Unit
Credit points

12
Faculty & College

Faculty of Business, Law and Arts
Placement

No

Unit description

Students enrolled in postgraduate legal studies as part of a thesis or coursework program must demonstrate the capacity to engage with legal research at an advanced level. This unit builds on the research skills students gained in their undergraduate program to enable them to understand the methodologies used in legal research as well as formulate and refine a research topic, locate source materials using advanced technologies and present a research proposal, including literature review and any necessary ethics approval. This unit is highly recommended for students who have never completed a legal research methodologies unit.

Unit content

1. nature and objectives of legal research

2. methodologies used in legal and interdisciplinary research

3. managing a research project

4. building advanced skills in legal research techniques

5. conducting research on a specific area

6. practising academic integrity in legal research and writing.

Availabilities

Location	Domestic	International
SCU Online	Term2	Term2

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

demonstrate advanced knowledge of the nature and objectives of legal research

engage in the methodologies used in legal and interdisciplinary research

use advanced legal research techniques to identify, evaluate, record and manage legal and non-legal materials

engage competently in research in a specialised area of law, locally and internationally

practise academic integrity and ethical behaviour in advanced legal research and writing.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching method

Structured online learning

Assessment
Quiz	10%
Literature review	40%
Project proposal	50%

Prescribed learning resources

Prescribed Texts

Hutchinson, T, 2018, Research and Writing in Law, 4th edn, Thomson Reuters.
O'Leary, Z, 2021, The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project, 4th edn, Sage, London. ISBN: 9781529713466.

Prescribed Resources/Equipment

No prescribed resources/equipment.

Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.

Fee information

Domestic

Commonwealth Supported courses
For information regarding Student Contribution Amounts please visit the Student Contribution Amounts.

Fee paying courses
For postgraduate or undergraduate full-fee paying courses please check Domestic Postgraduate Fees OR Domestic Undergraduate Fees.

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