The Contracts course is one of the foundation subjects in the law program and examines a central aspect of the law of obligations.

The objectives of this course are to examine the basic rules of the law of contract, its commercial, social and historical context, and to achieve an understanding of the issues which may arise in a contractual setting.

Consistent with student-centred learning, the course is directed towards achieving the following student learning outcomes:

• the acquisition of a detailed knowledge of the principles of contract law covered in this subject and the ability to demonstrate understanding of the development of these principles;
• the ability to apply this knowledge and understanding to hypothetical fact scenarios in order to identify legal issues in such a scenario and provide advice to a hypothetical client on the strengths and weaknesses of the client’s case;
• the ability to communicate clearly both orally and in writing their knowledge and understanding of the principles of contract law covered and the way in which that knowledge is applied to resolve hypothetical problems involving the topics covered in the course;
• the ability to demonstrate where relevant an understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of the topics covered; and
• a development of skills in legal research and legal writing.

At the conclusion of this course students should be able to:

• demonstrate an understanding of fundamental principles of the law of contract;
• construct a proposition of contract law established by case law;
• identify the relevant legal issues that arise on a given set of facts in the area of contract law; and
• where applicable, distinguish the facts in decided cases from those in a given set of facts; build this into an argument; and structure an answer to a problem question in a logical and coherent manner.

The assessment for this course will involve a compulsory piece of written assessment during the semester and a final exam in the examination period.  More information about the means of assessment and the relationship of the assessment to the learning outcomes of the course will be available on the course home page by the first week of semester.

The course will be delivered through a combination of podcasts and weekly 2 hour seminars.

Seminars are interactive and students are expected to come to their seminars prepared to engage actively with their material and each other. Students are expected to devote approximately 10 hours per week, including class time, to this course.

Please refer to LAWS1204 course home page.

The preliminary reading required for this course will be available from the course home page at least 1 week prior to the commencement of the course.

This course is taken in the second semester of first year for all undergraduate students. Students undertaking a full time Juris Doctor will study Contracts in the first semester of first year.