This course must be taken in the commencing semester of a student's LLB or JD enrolment. Students commencing their legal studies in Semester One are expected to undertake Foundations of Australian Law with LAWS1203 Torts. Students commencing their legal studies in Semester Two are expected to undertake Foundations of Australian Law with LAWS1204 Contracts. This is because the content in the relevant companion course is utilised in various ways in Foundations of Australian Law.

Foundations of Australian Law is designed to lay the groundwork for the remainder of students' legal studies. In particular, the course aims to assist students to develop a range of legal skills that are essential for successful legal studies and for professional practice. Students learn the essential skills that enable them to engage with and utilise our principal sources of law - case law and legislation. In addition to teaching students how to analyse case law and legislation in order to formulate legal arguments the course also covers the legal principles of statutory interpretation and the role of the courts in interpreting statutes.

To set the context for these sources of Australian law, the course also seeks to familiarise students with (1) some of the fundamental features of the legal institutions that generate laws (the courts and the parliament) (2) sources of Australian law in addition to case law and legislation (including the Australian Constitution, customary law and international law), and (3) the historical and social forces that have shaped and continue to shape the law-making process and the legal system.

At the conclusion of this course it is expected that students will be able to:

• discuss and explain the sources of law in Australia
• discuss the historical and social context of the institutions of the Australian legal system and the process of law-making
• formulate oral and written arguments in response to questions about the Australian legal system and the process of law-making
• identify and discuss legal principles obtained from reading and analysing selected case law (including case law from the relevant companion course - see note above)
• utilise methods of legal reasoning to apply relevant legal principles for the purpose of advising on legal problems
• identify, discuss and apply the principles of statutory interpretation
• utilise legal databases to research case law, legislation and scholarly journal articles
• use legal citation conventions in the course of legal writing
• utilise feedback to critically reflect on their own developing legal skills and understanding.

The assessment for this course will include skills-based exercises and assignments during semester followed by a final examination.  Details of the final assessment will be provided on the course home page by the first week of semester.

A two-hour seminar each week, four one-hour research skills tutorials and a mixture of lecture and other learning activities delivered live and/or in a variety of flexible formats (equivalent to a further hour per week).

None. 

Please refer to LAWS1201 course home page