Special Topic B (LAWS5224)

Course overview

This course will involve the study of a topical legal issue or field of law. Topics will vary from year to year. Refer to the Law School website for the current topic.

In Semester 2, 2025, this course will consider leading conceptions of justice advanced by political and legal theorists, and critiques thereof. It examines various moral values in terms of which legal and political institutions might be assessed. The moral values that it considers include liberty, community, utility, fairness, and equality. Among the themes that it explores are the limits of and connections between these ideals, the prospects for their realisation in contemporary societies, and the politics with which each is associated.

Course requirements

Assumed background

Undergraduate core subjects: Criminal law; Constitutional Law.

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

All level 1 and 2 LAWS courses

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

LAWS7224

Restrictions

LLB(Hons) and LLB(Hons) dual programs.

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

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 provide students with a critical understanding of historical and contemporary philosophical debates about the nature of justice, and its connection with law. Students will gain an appreciation for the way in which the values that animate competing conceptions of justice may inform—and may be used to critique—the operation of legal and political institutions. For instance, the course will allow students to interrogate the presuppositions about the nature of justice, and how it is best achieved, that manifest in decisions about what laws and policies to create, how they should be interpreted, and by whom.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment details

Class Presentation

• In-person

Mode

Oral

Category

Presentation

Weight

5%

Due date

18/08/2025 - 24/10/2025

Other conditions

Secure.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

If you are seriously affected by illness or other extenuating circumstances, please contact the course coordinator as soon as possible to discuss options.

Written Assignment

• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Essay/ Critique

Weight

45%

Due date

24/09/2025 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

Submission guidelines

Must be submitted electronically via Blackboard.

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

Where an extension for an assessment item due within the teaching period in which the course is offered is available, any extension is limited to one week (7 days). In exceptional circumstances, extensions may be granted for more than one week, but in no case will an extension exceed four weeks (28 days) in total. Where a student is incapacitated for a period exceeding four weeks of the teaching period, they should 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%.

Final Assignment

• Online

Mode

Written

Category

Essay/ Critique

Weight

50%

Due date

29/10/2025 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

Submission guidelines

Must be submitted electronically via Blackboard.

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

Where an extension for an assessment item due within the teaching period in which the course is offered is available, any extension is limited to one week (7 days). In exceptional circumstances, extensions may be granted for more than one week, but in no case will an extension exceed four weeks (28 days) in total. Where a student is incapacitated for a period exceeding four weeks of the teaching period, they should 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.

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

Weekly required and recommended readings will be listed on the course Blackboard site.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

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 for 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:

• Law School Announcements and Policies