Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2024 (22/07/2024 - 18/11/2024)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Law School
This course provides an opportunity for students to pursue in some depth an area of special interest under the supervision of a member of the Law School academic staff. Further guidelines are available from the Law School.
The course is a 2 unit supervised individual research project. It offers an opportunity for law students to participate in one of the many innovative research projects underway in the Law School.
Every semester, a number of research projects will be offered in the course. Each project will be convened by one or two academics and will focus on a particular legal topic or a broader legal theme. An overview of the existing projects (background, context and future research gaps and needs) will be available on the course Blackboard site within the first week of the semester. Within the context of the research project, students have the opportunity to choose their own topic and work under the supervision of the assigned academic(s).
Students will be required to attend TWO course group meetings and to submit TWO items of written assessment.
Course requirements
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
Permission from Head of School
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
LAWS7183 or 7383
Restrictions
LLB(Hons) and LLB(Hons) dual programs
Course contact
Timetable
Additional timetable information
1st GROUP MEETING: Orientation Meeting (Week 1)
2nd GROUP MEETING: Introduction to Legal Researchﾠ(Week 2)
PLEASE NOTE: Time and venue of the meetings will be announced on Blackboard site.
Aims and outcomes
Teaching Mission Statement
The mission of the TC Beirne School of Law is to educate students in and about the law. We seek to assist you to think critically about the law and to investigate its structures, principles, policies, and values. This is achieved by engaging with you as fellow investigators in a range of critical and intellectual conversations about the law and its place in society. Our role is thus to guide you in your own intellectual journey in the law and to equip you with the necessary skills that will enable you to continue that journey long after you have left the School.
Course Aims
This course aims to allow students to undertake self-directed research under the guidance of a supervisor, as part of an ongoing research project, within a research team context.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Design an original research project that contributes to the disciplinary state of knowledge about a specific legal problem.
LO2.
Identify a range of advanced legal research and writing skills appropriate for the project, including an appreciation of the value of different methodologies relevant to legal research (eg., historical/empirical/comparative/theoretical etc).
LO3.
Tailor legal writing to the needs of particular audiences (academics/students, government/policy-makers, law reform commission, the media and general public).
LO4.
Learn about legal publishing (including how to pitch submissions to editors and publishers, and how to respond to feedback and double-blind peer review) including how to develop research papers into high quality submissions suitable for publication.
LO5.
Manage their time and collaboration within the research team effectively.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation |
Research Proposal
|
30% |
2/09/2024 2:00 pm |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation |
Research Paper
|
70% |
25/10/2024 2:00 pm |
Assessment details
Research Proposal
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 30%
- Due date
2/09/2024 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L02, L03, L04
Task description
Students are required to submit a Research Proposal of no more than 2,000 words comprising a detailed description of the research project and a draft outline of the proposed research paper. The research proposal should:
- identify relevant resources and summarise and/or categorise existing knowledge;
- identify the 'gap' in the knowledge that your project is attempting to address;
- position your project in the context of existing knowledge; and
- clearly identify the aims (question), scope and methodology/approach of your project.
There is no single correct way to write a research proposal. Supervisors and students will discuss the format for the research proposal and draft outline.
Any material in excess of the word count will be disregarded by the marker. The research proposal should include footnotes and bibliography. However, the footnotes and bibliography are not included in the word count. Footnotes should be limited to reference citations. Any substantive discussion in a footnote will be disregarded by the marker. (For the avoidance of any doubt, headings are included in the word count, as are quotations.)
This assessment task evaluates student’s abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
The Research Proposal should be submitted by email directly to your supervisor AND electronically on the Blackboard site.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Extension to Assessment Due Date
An extension for an assessment item due within the teaching period in which the course is offered will generally be limited to one week in the first instance. In exceptional circumstances, approved extensions may be granted for more than one week but will not exceed four weeks in total. Where a student is incapacitated for a period exceeding four weeks of the teaching period, they should be advised to apply for removal of course.
A student may apply for an extension to assessment due date if they are unable to meet an assessment deadline due to extenuating circumstances. Please refer to the Applying for an extension page on my.UQ for further details on acceptable reasons for an extension and for instructions on how to apply. Additional information on extensions can be found within the Assessment Procedure.
Spoken or written notification of difficulties with assessment deadlines to a course coordinator or the School does not constitute an authorised extension.
Applications to be submitted before the due date: Applications for extension (whether they be medical or exceptional circumstances) shall be made by the due date and time for the assessment. Requests for extensions received after the assessment item submission due date and time, must include evidence of the reason for the late request, and will require the decision maker listed in the Student Grievance Resolution Procedure to accept the request for consideration.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Penalties for Late Submission
The following penalties apply to late submission of an assessment item, assuming that an extension has not been approved, and that late submission is academically possible (e.g., it does not delay feedback to a cohort, or interfere with course delivery).
First 7 periods of 24 hours (or part thereof) - 10% per 24 hours of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item. For example, a report worth a maximum of 40 marks, submitted 28 hours late will attract a penalty of 8 marks, calculated as 2 periods of 24 hours x 10% x 40 marks.
More than 7 periods of 24 hours - 100%.
Research Paper
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 70%
- Due date
25/10/2024 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L04, L05
Task description
Students are required to submit an original, scholarly Research Paper of no more than 8,000 words. The precise content of the paper should be determined in conjunction with the supervisor but should be consistent with the Research Proposal.
Any material in excess of the word count will be disregarded by the marker. The Research Paper should include footnotes and a bibliography. However, footnotes and bibliography are not included in the word count. Footnotes should be limited to reference citations. Any substantive discussion in a footnote will be disregarded by the marker. (For the avoidance of any doubt, headings are included in the word count, as are quotations.)
This assessment task evaluates student’s abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
The Research Paper must be submitted by email directly to your supervisor AND electronically on the Blackboard site.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Extension to Assessment Due Date
An extension for an assessment item due within the teaching period in which the course is offered will generally be limited to one week in the first instance. In exceptional circumstances, approved extensions may be granted for more than one week but will not exceed four weeks in total. Where a student is incapacitated for a period exceeding four weeks of the teaching period, they should be advised to apply for removal of course.
A student may apply for an extension to assessment due date if they are unable to meet an assessment deadline due to extenuating circumstances. Please refer to the Applying for an extension page on my.UQ for further details on acceptable reasons for an extension and for instructions on how to apply. Additional information on extensions can be found within the Assessment Procedure.
Spoken or written notification of difficulties with assessment deadlines to a course coordinator or the School does not constitute an authorised extension.
Applications to be submitted before the due date: Applications for extension (whether they be medical or exceptional circumstances) shall be made by the due date and time for the assessment. Requests for extensions received after the assessment item submission due date and time, must include evidence of the reason for the late request, and will require the decision maker listed in the Student Grievance Resolution Procedure to accept the request for consideration.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Penalties for Late Submission
The following penalties apply to late submission of an assessment item, assuming that an extension has not been approved, and that late submission is academically possible (e.g., it does not delay feedback to a cohort, or interfere with course delivery).
First 7 periods of 24 hours (or part thereof) - 10% per 24 hours of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item. For example, a report worth a maximum of 40 marks, submitted 28 hours late will attract a penalty of 8 marks, calculated as 2 periods of 24 hours x 10% x 40 marks.
More than 7 periods of 24 hours - 100%.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 19 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 20 - 47 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 48 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
Identification, categorisation and citation of appropriate sources are a major part of this course. Ask your supervisor for assistance if you are in doubt as to what is required.
The library's 'How- to' guides may be a useful starting point: http://www.library.uq.edu.au/useit/
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 2 |
General contact hours |
Getting started (Arranging supervision and self-directed learning) In Weeks 1 and 2, students will arrange supervision and begin working through the self-directed learning modules about legal research and writing (see Blackboard for details). Students are expected to find their own supervisors. Those who have not been able to find a supervisor by the end of Week 2 should contact the course coordinator. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Multiple weeks From Week 3 To Week 6 |
General contact hours |
Independent research and Meeting with Supervisors (Reading, Planning and Writing) Between Weeks 3 and 6, students should be reading into their topics, planning and writing their proposals, and starting to work on their Research Papers under the guidance of their academic supervisors. The first compulsory meeting between the student and supervisor must take place in this time, but it is likely that students will need multiple meetings to successfully complete the assessments tasks. In addition, students should draw on the self-directed learning modules on legal research design and methodologies that will be announced on Blackboard. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Multiple weeks From Week 7 To Week 13 |
General contact hours |
Independent Research and Meeting with Supervisor (Reading, Planning and Writing) From Weeks 7 to 13, students will be undertaking independent research on their papers with guidance from their supervisors. The second compulsory meeting between students and supervisors must take place in this time, though multiple meetings will most likely be necessary for students to complete their Papers. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.
School guidelines
Your school has additional guidelines you'll need to follow for this course: