LAW 3527 - Public Law Internship Programme

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2016

The course places students in "internships" with public law offices for a period of 22 days in total (semester 1 and 2) or 25 days (Summer semester). Semester 1 and 2 enrolments involve two intensive weeks over non-teaching weeks eg summer or winter break, followed by one day per week over the semester (with each day being a 71/2 hour day) or five weeks intensive over the summer semester. The internships enable students to build on their understanding of the theory of public law by gaining an appreciation of its practical operation. The course aims to give depth and context to students existing knowledge of public law. The course will begin with an orientation seminar. Students will be required to complete an agreed research task under the supervision of the course coordinator. The research task will be negotiated with the student and the course coordinator, and will build on the work the student completes during their internship. It is expected that students will also be involved in day-to-day activities of their internship office and gain a broad understanding of the operation of public law generally.

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Course Details

Course Code	LAW 3527
Course	Public Law Internship Programme
Coordinating Unit	Adelaide Law School
Term	Semester 2
Level	Undergraduate Law (LLB)
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	N
Prerequisites	LAW 2504
Restrictions	Available to LLB students only. Enrolment is by selection only, please consult with Course Coordinator for eligibility.
Assessment	Typically to include the preparation of a portfolio related to the placement and a research essay.

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Ms Cornelia Koch

Laura Grenfell (until 25 July 2016)
Ph: 8313 5713
Email: laura.grenfell@adelaide.edu.au

Cornelia Koch (from 25 July 2016)
Ph: 8313 5713
Email: cornelia.koch@adelaide.edu.au

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

Students will develop the following skills:

Understand and appreciate the ethical dimensions of the role of lawyers, and the functioning of law and legal systems
Understand legal citation conventions in the course of legal writing
Apply excellent research skills
Develop a knowledge and understanding of the basic principles of the primary areas of Australian law as required to satisfy the academic standards for admission to practice law in an Australian jurisdiction
Develop the capacity to analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources and experiences
Have an awareness of the incompleteness of law and the continuous state of development of legal principles
Develop critical thinking and problem solving skills
Apply good inter-personal and communication skills in both written and oral communication and independently and as a member of a team
Further enhance written and oral skills in the explanation of, analysis and synthesis of legal principle
Develop an ability to critically analyse and apply legislation, rules and cases in context
Develop the capacity to identify factual and legal issues

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1-11
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	1-11
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	1-11
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	1-11
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	1-11
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	1-11

Learning & Teaching Activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

The internships enable students to build on their understanding of the theory of public law by gaining an appreciation of its practical operation. The course aims to give depth and context to students’ existing knowledge of public 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 accountability organisations operate and of the operation of public law generally.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

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.

Learning Activities Summary

No information currently available.

Specific Course Requirements

The course places students in "internships" for a total period of 25 days (summer) or 22 days (semester 1 and 2 - this involves two intensive weeks over non-teaching weeks eg summer or winter break, followed by one day per week over the semester, with each day being a 71/2 hour day).

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary


Assessment Item	% of final mark	Due date	Length	Redeemable	Learning Outcomes
Portfolio – Part 1 – Agreed research task/essay	70%	The due date will be upon completion of the internship negotiated between the student and the course co-ordinator. However, all work must be in, at least, 2 weeks after the end of the teaching semester.	3500 words	No	1 - 11
Portfolio – Part 2 – 3 x Diary summaries	30%	The first of these summaries must be submitted in the first 4 weeks of the internship.	500 words each	No	1 - 11

Assessment Detail

The Portfolio
The portfolio has two components:

(1) an agreed research task/essay (approximately 3500 words) (worth 70%);

(2) 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 students' legal skills; (ii) the applicable law; and, (iii) the effectiveness of the legal processes students are observing/interacting with. (worth 30%).

The first of these summaries must be submitted after the first two intensive 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 Part 1 of the portfolio on a negotiated date.

1. The Agreed Research Task
The subject of your research task will be negotiated with the subject co-ordinator. 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. What are the limits of the Ombudsman’s powers? Why?

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

The due date for the portfolio will be negotiated between the student and the course co-ordinator. In general the rule is that all work must be submitted before the final marks for the semester in which you are enrolled are due.

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

Submission

PRESENTATION OF ASSIGNMENTS

Students must retain a copy of all assignments submitted.

All assignments must be submitted electronically on MyUni via Turnitin. This means that all papers will be electronically checked for plagiarism.
The Portfolio must:
- Be footnoted (substantive footnotes will be included in the word count)
- Be 1.5 or double-spaced and paginated
- Have a table of contents and a bibliography appropriate for the topic
- Adhere to the word limit.

ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES FOR REFERENCING

Students must use the Australian Guide to Legal Citation.

RETURN OF ASSIGNMENTS AND FEEDBACK
Assignments will be returned to students within 2-3 weeks of the due date with written feedback or once marks have been approved by the Law School Board of Examiners.
Students must not submit work for an assignment that has previously been submitted for any other course.

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.

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.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
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.

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.

For more information please check out the Writing Centre website at http://www.adelaide.edu.au/writingcentre/

Lex Salus Program

Lex Salus was founded in 2013 by Adelaide Law School Wellbeing officers Ms Corinne Walding, Ms Kellie Toole and Dr Mark Giancaspro. Lex Salus is an initiative of the Adelaide Law School aimed at raising law student awareness of the importance of mental, physical and nutritional health across all year levels of the degree, and of the various counselling, disability and equity services both within and outside the University that can provide help. Research shows that law students, both in Australia and in many jurisdictions around the world, experience the highest levels of stress, anxiety and depression out of any other discipline. Many do not get enough sleep, maintain a healthy diet or achieve a realistic work/life balance. Making matters worse, they are unwilling or afraid to speak up for fear of feeling 'weak' or because of the negative stigma that attaches to seeking help. Lex Salus is dedicated to tackling these problems head-on.

Counselling Service

The University Counselling Service provides a free and confidential service to all enrolled students. We encourage you to contact the Counselling service on 8313 5663 to make an appointment to deal with any issues that may be affecting your study and life. More information is available at https://www.adelaide.edu.au/counselling_centre/.
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Further information regarding the Law School Policies and Procedures in relation to Supplementary Assessment, Extensions, and remarks etc can befound at:

https://unified.adelaide.edu.au/group/law-school/policies-and-procedures

Plagiarism and other forms of cheating

Plagiarism is a serious act of academic misconduct. All students must be familiar with the Adelaide Law School Enrolment Guide, and should note in particular the sections relating to plagiarism, grievance procedures and academic conduct within the Law School and the University.

Plagiarism is a serious matter and is treated as such by the Law School and the University. Please be aware that “academic dishonesty” (which goes beyond plagiarism) can be a ground for a refusal by the Supreme Court of South Australia to refuse 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.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator