Associate Professor Anne Hewitt coordinates this course.

Anne's office is Room 329 In the Ligertwood Building, and she can be reached at:

e: anne.hewitt@adelaide.edu.au
p: 8313 4453

On successful completion of this course, graduates will be able to:

1. Analyse, evaluate and synthesise a range of primary legal sources to inform the provision of coherant and appropriate advice regarding the operation and effect of anti-discrimination laws.

2. Apply anti-discrimination law to legal problems, provide advice regarding the operation of the laws in a range of practical scenarios, and critique the operation of anti-discrimination and equality laws from a policy perspective.

3. Develop a persuasive written argument appropriate for both lay and legal audiences. Work and communicate effectively as an individual and as a member of a team in an extended group work activity involving the completion of multiple tasks.

4. Demonstrate professionalism in interaction with collegues during the completion of cooperative activities.

5. Exercise sound professional judgment in advising a client in an academic context. Engage with peers, clients and others in an appropriate and ethical manner.

6. Engage in rigorous self evaluation of contribution to group work, and utilise feedback to improve assessed material. Reflect on the importance of individual background in the experience of discrimination.

South Australian and Federal anti-discrimination legislation will be referred to regularly. Students can access the legislation electronically.

Chris Ronalds & Rachel Pepper, Discrimination Law and Practice (4th Edition, 2012, The Federation Press).

Neil Rees, Katherine Lindsay and Simon Rice, Australian anti-discrimination law (3rd edition, 2018, The Federation Press).

Sandra Fredman, Discrimination Law (2nd edition, 2011, Oxford University Press, Clarendon Law Series).

Nicholas Bamforth, Meleiha Malik and Colm O’Cinneide, Discrimination Law: Theory and Context (2008, Thomson Sweet Maxwell).

Peter Cane, Carolyn Evans and Zoe Robinson (eds), Law and Religion in Theoretical and Historical Context (2008, Cambridge University Press 2008).

Josephine Tiddy, It’s Just Not Fair: Overcoming discrimination in Australia (2001, ABC Books).

MyUni will be used to post announcements and distribute relevant course materials (including slides, and where available, audio recordings of lectures) and announce assignment tasks. It will also contain electronic copies of materials relevant to in-class activities and resources for assessments.

Students are expected to check MyUni regularly to keep up to date with these materials and additional learning resources throughout the course.

Learning and Teaching Activities amounting to 36 hours will be offered to students in this course.

The teaching activities will consist of 12 x 2 hour classes, which will consist of online lectures, in addtion to 6 x 2 hour interactive problem solving workshops. Students will be required to actively engage in a range of individual and group tasks during classes, including to discuss, debate and defend their analysis of the relevant material from course readings and lectures.

The University expects full-time students (i.e. those taking 12 units per semester) to devote a total of 48 hours per week to their studies. This means that you are expected to commit approximately 9 hours of private study each week per 3-unit course in addition to your regular classes.

Week	Lecture	Seminar	Other
1	Introduction to equality and discrimination	Group A seminar
2	Institutions, procedures and remedies	Group B seminar	Foundational concepots quiz
3	Sex discrimination	Group A seminar	Complaint, settlement and tribunal process quiz
4	Pregnancy discrimination	Group B seminar	Role play assessment Task 1 due 19 August at 2.00pm
5	Race discimination	Group A seminar
6	Minority rights and equality law	Group B seminar	Role play assessment Task 2 due 2 September at 2.00pm
7	Disability Discimination	Group A seminar
8	Fair Work Act and other legislation	Group B seminar	Role play assessment Task 3 due 16 September at 2.00pm
Mid-Semester Break
9	Vilification and victimisation	Group A seminar
10	Institutional discrimination, positive duties and affirmative action	Group B seminar
11	Equality rights into the future	Group A seminar	Role Play assessment Portfolio due 19 October at 2:00pm SPLAT assessment due 19 October 2:00pm
12	Revision	Group B seminar	Law reform Quiz

Failure to contribute appropriately to your group in completing the group portfolio tasks

If a student fails to contribute appropriately to their group, they will suffer a marks penalty that adjusts their mark for this item of assessment to a level commensurate with their contribution, and this lower mark will count in full towards their final grade. Information about how to work in groups, and the processes to be followed in the event of a failure to contribute appropriately, will be made available on MyUni.

Your group work will be assessed through a peer evaluation. Completing the Peer Evaluation is not worth seperate marks, however if you DO NOT complete it your share of the Portfolio assignment mark will be reduced by 10%.

Instructions about the peer evaluation process will be made available on MyUni.

Assessment Task	Weighting	Due	Task Type (Group or Individual)	Redeemable?	Length	Learning Outcome
Foundational concepts quiz	5%	Friday 5 August	Individual	No	10 Questions drawn from a question bank	1
Compaint, conciliation and tribunal process quiz	5%	Friday 12 August	Individual	No	10 Questions drawn from a question bank	1
Role play portfolio (4 tasks with separate deadlines)	30%	Task 1: 2.00pm Thursday 19 August Task 2: 2.00pm Thursday 2 September Task 3: 2.00pm Thursday 16 September Final portfolio - Tasks 1, 2, 3, and 4: 2.00pm Tuesday 19 October	Group	No	4 x 700 words	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Peer group work assessment	No mark is assigned to the peer evaluation, but if any student DOES NOT complete it they will incur a 10% penalty on the Portfolio assignment mark	2.00pm Tuesday 19 October	Individual	No		4, 6
Law reform quiz	5%	Friday 24 October	Individual	NO	10 questions drawn from a question bank	1
Final assignment	55%	2.00pm Friday 4 November	Individual	No	2500 words	1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Preliminary quizzes (10%)

In week 2 every student will have the opportunity to test their understanding of foundational concepts in the course via an online quiz worth 5%, and in week 3 test their knowledge of complaint, settlement and tribunal process in an online quiz worth a further 5%.

Role Play Portfolio (30%)

At the end of week 2 each student in this course will be assigned to a group of 4-5 students who will work together during the semester to complete a number of exercises associated with a role play.  Each group will be assigned a ‘client’ who is (or at least, believes they may be!) involved in a dispute which involves anti-discrimination laws. Your group will be given some background information about that client and asked to complete 4 assessable tasks on their behalf. Each task has a clear submission date and time, provided above. Feedback on each tasks 1, 2, and 3 will be provided in a timely manner; however individual marks will not be awarded for each Task. Instead, teams will have the opportunity to revise the tasks and the 4 Tasks will be marked holistically at the conclusion of the exercise. They will be viewed as a portfolio of work, which cumulatively demonstrates your team’s legal knowledge, communication skill, and analytical capacity.

The 4 Tasks which make up this portfolio are:

1. A preliminary file note regarding the questions each group needs to ask its client, and a preliminary evaluation of their case;
2. A letter of advice to the client;
3. A communication to the opponent in the client's dispute; and
4. A summary of a negotiation undertaken on behalf of the client.

Each task has a word limit of 700 words.

Peer group work assessment (penalty applied if not completed)

Each student will engage in a process of peer assessment of your group member’s performance in the group role play activity. This peer assessment will evaluate your ‘group work’ skills and contribution to the role play activity according to specific criteria, including engagement with the group, active participation in the role play activities, and value and timeliness of your contribution to the group’s portfolio of work. This evaluation will be completed after the role play has ended. More information about how to evaluate team members will be provided in instructions via MyUni. You will only be evlaluating (and evaluated by) those in your immediate group for this  activity.

There are no marks awarded for completing the peer group work assessment, as it should only take you a few minutes.  However, to ensure all students complete it, those who DO NOT will have a 10% penalty imposed on their portfolio assignment mark.  That 10% will be calculated as 10% of the mark awarded ie if the group assignment was marked as 75%, a student who did not complete the peer group work assessment would have a penalty of 7.5% applied for a final mark of 75% - 7.5% = 67.5%.

Please note: If your peer assessment indicates that you did not make a sufficient contribution to your team’s completed tasks to validly share the group mark, your group mark will be affected. The extent to which your group mark is affected will be decided by the course coordinator based on the peer evaluations submitted and will reflect your contribution to the group assignment. If required team members may also be consulted about the extent of adjustment to the portfolios ssessment mark which is appropriate in the circumstances, but this will not be undertaken in each instance.

Law Reform Quiz (5%)
In week 11 all  students will have the opportunity to completre an online 10 qestion quiz on reform of anti discrimination laws, worth 5% of their final mark. The questions for each student will be randomly drawn from a question bank.

Final assignment (55%)

A final assignment, consisting of a limited choice and requiring completion of two letters of advice to clients experiencing legal problems involving anti discrimination laws, will be distributed on Monday 25 October. The assignment will be due at 2.00pm on Friday 4 November 2022.

A 2500 word limit applies for the assignment.

All assessments will be submitted and monitored through text or code comparative software (e.g. Turnitin) where possible.

All written work in the Law school is required to comply with the approved Law School style guide, The Australian Guide to Legal Citation.

Extensions

Requests for extensions must be made electronically according to law school policy. Extensions will be granted only for unexpected illness, hardship or on compassionate grounds in accordance with University Policy. Work commitments, travel, holidays or sporting engagements are not unexpected circumstances.

Turnaround time

Feedback on interim assessment in this course will be returned to students within two weeks of the submission date. Written feedback to each group will be provided, from which students can learn in relation to the subsequent portfolio tasks and for the final assignment. The final assignment will be returned to students within 4 weeks of the submission date with individual feedback.

Late Submission Penalties

When an assessment is submitted after the due date, without an extension, 5% of the total mark possible will be deducted for every 24 hours or part thereof that it is late, including each day on a weekend and public holidays. For example, an essay that is submitted after the due date and time but within the first 24 hour period, and that has been graded at 63%, will have 5% deducted, for a final grade of 58%. An essay that is more than 24 hours late will lose 10%, etc.

Word Length Penalties

5% of the total mark possible for a written assessment will be deducted for every 100 words (or part thereof) by which it exceeds a stipulated word limit. For example, a 2,500 word essay graded at 63% will have 5% deducted if it is between 2,501 and 2,600 words long for a final mark of 58%. If the essay is between 2,601 and 2,700 words long, 10% will be deducted for a final mark of 53%, etc. Word limits include all words in the text, in headings, in quotations, but exclude citations in footnotes. Any separate cover page, table of contents, bibliography or list of sources is excluded from the word limit. If the word limit is misstated, this may be regarded as academic dishonesty. Students must retain a copy of all assignments submitted.

Finality of Assessment Grades

Students are advised that Course Coordinators will not enter into negotiations of any kind with any student regarding changes to their grades. It is irrelevant, in any given circumstance, that only a minimal number of additional marks are required to inflate a student’s grade for any individual assessment item or course as a whole. Pursuant to the University’s Assessment for Coursework Programs Policyand the Adelaide Law School Assessment Policies and Procedures, grades may only be varied through the appropriate channels for academic review (such as an official re-mark).

Moderation

In accordance with the University’s Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy, course coordinators ‘ensure that appropriate marking guidelines and cross-marking moderation processes across markers are in place’ in each course. Procedures adopted by Adelaide Law School to ensure consistency of marking in courses with multiple markers include:

• assurance of the qualifications of markers, and their knowledge of the content covered in each course;
• detailed marking guidelines and assessment rubrics to assist in the marking of items of assessment;
• sharing of example marked assessments at various grade bands across markers;
• reviewing of selected marked assessments from each marker by the course coordinator;
• comparison of the marks and their distribution across markers;
• automatic double-marking of all interim assessment receiving a fail grade, and of final assessments where a student’s overall result is a fail grade;
• the availability of re-marking of assessments in accordance with Adelaide Law School’s Assessment Policies and Procedures.

Approval of Results by Board of Examiners

Students are reminded that all assessment results are subject to approval (and possible moderation/change) by the Law School’s Board of Examiners. Assessment results at the University are not scaled. Under the Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy, students are assessed ‘by reference to their performance against pre-determined criteria and standards … and not by ranking against the performance of the student cohort in the course’. However, under that same policy, the Board of Examiners (as the relevant Assessment Review Committee for courses at Adelaide Law School) is required to ‘ensure comparability of standards and consistency’ in assessment. On occasions, the Board of Examiners will form the view that some moderation is required to ensure the comparability of standards and consistency across courses and years, and accordingly provide fairness to all law students. All assessment results are therefore subject to approval (and possible change) until confirmed by the Board of Examiners and posted on Access Adelaide at the end of each semester.

Anti-discrimination and Equality Law was last taught in 2021.  In that incarnation of the course we had both face to face and online seminars, which caused some inequity between the seminar streams.  In response, all seminars are now face to face.

Positive feedback was received about the use of the peer evlaution, including a 'trial run' evaluation half way through the group assignment, and this will be continued in 2022.

The University Writing Centre provides academic learning and language development services and resources for local, international, undergraduate and postgraduate coursework students enrolled at the University of Adelaide.

The centre offers practical advice and strategies for students to master reading, writing, note-taking, time management, oral presentation skills, referencing techniques and exam preparation for success at university through seminars, workshops and individual consultations.

Lex Salus Program

Lex Salus (law and wellbeing) is an initiative of the Adelaide Law School aimed at destigmatising mental health issues; promoting physical, mental and emotional wellness; building a strong community of staff and students; and celebrating diversity within the school. It also seeks to promote wellness within the legal profession, through the involvement of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia, the Honourable Chris Kourakis, as the official Patron of the program.

Students can participate in the Lex Salus program by attending barbecue lunches, pancake breakfasts, knitting and crochet circles, seminars, guest speakers, conferences and other activities. Our Facebook page, website and regular all-student emails promote upcoming events, and have tips and information on wellness.

Our Lex Salus YouTube channel also includes videos on topics like managing stress, and interviews with LGBTQ lawyers and their supporters which celebrate diversity and individuality. Students who commit to 10 hours of volunteering with Lex Salus in one year can have their service recognised on their academic transcript and through a thank you morning tea with the Chief Justice and law school staff.

Student Life Counselling Support

The University’s Student Life Counselling Support service provides free and confidential service to all enrolled students. We encourage you to contact the Student Life Counselling Support service on 8313 5663 to make an appointment to deal with any issues that may be affecting your study and life.

Academic Integrity

All students must be familiar with the University’s Academic Integrity Policy. Academic Misconduct is a serious matter and is treated as such by the Law School and the University. Academic Misconduct (which goes beyond plagiarism) can be a ground for a refusal by the Supreme Court of South Australia to admit a person to practice as a legal practitioner in South Australia. Academic Integrity is an essential aspect of ethical and honest behaviour, which is central to the practice of the law and an understanding of what it is to be a lawyer.