Name: Peter Burdon
Room: 3.28
Phone: 83134446
Email: peter.d.burdon@adelaide.edu.au

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

1. reflect on and appreciate the ethical dimensions of the role of lawyers, and the functioning of law and legal systems;
2. apply excellent research skills; 
3. develop the capacity to analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources and experiences;
4. develop development of critical thinking and problem solving skills;
5. apply good inter-personal and communication skills in both written and oral communication and independently and as a member of a team; and,
6. further enhance written and oral skills in the explanation of, analysis and synthesis of legal principle.

There is no set textbook in this course.

The internships enable students to build on their understanding of the theory of human rights law by gaining an appreciation of its practical operation. The course aims to give depth and context to students’ existing knowledge of human rights law. It is expected that students will be involved in day-to-day activities of their internship office and gain a broad understanding of how such organisations operate and of the operation of human rights law generally.

The University expects full-time students (ie those taking 12 units per semester) to devote a total of up to 48 hours per week to their studies. In law, this figure represents the bare minimum necessary to an understanding of the concepts covered.

There are no scheduled learning activities for this course. Instead, each student will be involved in the day to day activities of their host organisation and will be able to receive from the course coordinator regular feedback on their interim assessment as well as assistance in formulating their research essay question.

The course gives students academic credit for ‘internships’ with human rights law organisations that are of a duration of 8 weeks minimum.

Assessment Task	% of final mark	Due date	Length	Task Type	Redeemable	Learning Outcome
Diary summaries	30% (ie 10% each)	Intermittently during the course of the internship (ie every 2-3 weeks) and the final diary summary is due on or before Monday 4th November 2019.	3 x 500 words	individual	no	1, 4, 5,6
Research Essay	60%	On or before Monday 4th November 2019	4000 words	individual	no	2, 3, 5,6
Reflection on research methodology	10%	On or before Monday 4th November 2019	1000 words	individual	no	1, 4, 5
Organisation briefing	Pass/fail	On or before Monday 4th November 2019		individual	n/a	1

The portfolio has four components:

(1) an agreed research task/essay (4000 words max) (worth 60%);

(2) a reflection on research methodology employed in the research task (up to 1000 words) (worth 10%); and

(3) a briefing on the operation of the organisation and your role at the organisation (1-2 pages) (pass/fail).

(4) 3 x 500 word diary summaries to be emailed during the course of the internship that identify and analyse (i) how the internship is helping to develop your legal skills; (ii) the legal texts/instruments that are relevant to your practice of international/human rights law;(iii) the in/efficiency of the legal processes you are observing/interacting with, and; (iv) how political dynamics are impacting on the practice of international/human rights law of your organisation (worth 30%). The first of these summaries must be submitted in the first 2-3 weeks of the internship so that feedback can be provided to assist in the preparation of subsequent summaries and preparation of the research essay.

Upon completion of your internship, you will be required to hand up parts 1-3 of the portfolio on or before Monday 5th November 2018.

1. The Agreed Research Task

The subject of your research task will be negotiated with the subject co-ordinator and, if possible, your internship supervisor. Ideally the focus of this research task/essay should be a practical one relating to your internship.

For example, if you are asked to research and write a paper for the organisation, you may use this as the base of your task/essay as long as you have the organisation’s permission to do so. This permission is important, especially where the material you are looking at is of a confidential nature.

Or you can use your experience as the basis of your paper – eg. How does the Council on Human Rights operate? Is it effective? Why/why not? How could it be reformed?

Your research task/essay must have a legal focus and include legal analysis.

Students may re-submit only the essay for academic cause (more than 45%). Other parts of the portfolio cannot be resubmitted.

Students are reminded that a conceded pass (45-49%) in this course does not count as a pass in the course for the purposes of the LLB (see the relevant academic program rules). If a student receives a conceded pass in this course, they may do further work on their essay and resubmit it. In this case, their essay will be remarked, and if the new mark on the essay raises their overall mark to a passing grade, the student will be awarded 50% for the course.

Grade Descriptors for the Essay and the Portfolio

FAIL 0-49

• Does not develop coherent and rational arguments
• Demonstrates fundamental errors of understanding of key legal principles and concepts
• Minimal evidence of research to support argument
• Absence of legal analysis and reflection
• Demonstrates limited analytical and evaluative skills

PASS 50-64%

• Adequate articulation of argument
• Demonstrates a basic understanding and application of analytic concepts and theoretical concepts
• Minimal adherence to citation style
• Adequate relevant research informing the argument
• Basic understanding of that reading
• Insufficient legal analysis and reflection
• Adequate skills in written expression and presentation

CREDIT 65-74

• Demonstrates a high level of understanding of the relevant legal materials
• Shows a thorough understanding of relevant legal materials
• Demonstrates some critical legal thinking and evaluative skills
• Adequate legal analysis and reflection
• Adequate skills in written expression and presentation

DISTINCTION 75-84

• High standard of understanding of the relevant legal materials with some original and sophisticated perspectives
• High level of insight and legal analysis
• Broad ranging legal research skills
• Evidence of high level of critical legal thinking
• Well developed analytical and evaluative skills
• Developed skills in written expression and presentation

HIGH DISTINCTION 85-100

• Outstanding level of understanding, reflection and interpretation
• Compelling, well-supported and tightly structured legal arguments
• Broad ranging research and original and sophisticated thinking
• Highly developed written communication skills

1. All assignments must be submitted electronically via Turnitin. This means that all papers will be electronically checked for plagiarism.
2. There will be a penalty of 5% per day or part thereof for any late submission without a formal extension of the time granted.
3. The Portfolio must:

• Be footnoted (substantive footnotes will be included in the word count)
• Be double-spaced and paginated
• Have a bibliography appropriate for the topic
  Adhere to the word limit.

Students must retain a copy of all assignments submitted.

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.

Late Submission: 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. 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. Hard copy submissions made after 5.00pm on a Friday will be assumed to have been submitted on the next business day and will be penalised accordingly.

Word Length: Assignments which exceed the allocated length (word length or page limit) will be subject to a penalty of 5% of total marks possible per 100 words or part thereof (ie with a word limit of 3,000, an essay graded 63% will have 5% deducted if it is 3001 words long, for a final grade of 58%, 10% if it is 3101 words long, etc). Words are calculated including all footnotes and headings within the text but excluding cover page information. Quotations and all referencing information are included in the word count.

Courses for which a result of conceded pass has been obtained may not be presented towards the degree requirements for the Bachelor of Laws or the Honours Degree of Bachelor of Laws programs, or any postgraduate law program, nor to satisfy prerequisite requirements within any law course.

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.

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 Honesty

Academic dishonesty is a serious act of academic misconduct. All students must be familiar with the University’s Academic Honesty Policy.

Academic dishonesty is a serious matter and is treated as such by the Law School and the University. Academic dishonesty (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 honesty 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.