LS011 - Legal Studies 1

Unit code: LS011 | Study level: TAFE

Credit points

N/A

Location

Footscray Nicholson

Prerequisites

N/A

Overview

Criminal law and civil law aim to achieve social cohesion and protect the rights of individuals. Criminal law is aimed at maintaining social order and infringing criminal law can result in charges. Civil law deals with the infringement of a person’s or group’s rights and breaching civil law can result in litigation.

In this unit students develop an understanding of legal foundations, such as the different types and sources of law and the existence of a court hierarchy in Victoria. Students investigate key concepts of criminal law and civil law and apply these to actual and/or hypothetical scenarios to determine whether an accused may be found guilty of a crime, or liable in a civil dispute. In doing so, students develop an appreciation of the way in which legal principles and information are used in making reasoned judgments and conclusions about the culpability of an accused, and the liability of a party in a civil dispute.

This unit is delivered in Year 11.

Assessment

For Melbourne campuses

Assessment tasks will be designed to reinforce and extend knowledge in accordance with each unit’s learning outcomes, including the setting of practical application tasks designed to provide evidence of competence outcomes, within periodic and scheduled timelines. Students will be expected to demonstrate the following knowledge:

Outcome 1
On completion of this unit the student should be able to describe the main sources and types of law, and assess the effectiveness of laws.

Outcome 2
On completion of this unit the student should be able to explain the purposes and key concepts of criminal law, and use legal reasoning to argue the criminal culpability of an accused based on actual and/or hypothetical scenarios.

Outcome 3
On completion of this unit the student should be able to explain the purposes and key concepts of civil law, and apply legal reasoning to argue the liability of a party in civil law based on actual and/or hypothetical scenarios.

Assessment will follow the requirements set out in the VCE Legal Studies Study Guide:

The award of satisfactory completion for a unit is based on whether the student has demonstrated the set of outcomes specified for the unit. A variety of learning activities and assessment tasks will provide a range of opportunities for students to demonstrate the key knowledge and key skills in the outcomes. Assessment will be a part of the regular teaching and learning program and will be completed mainly in class and within a limited time-frame.

All assessments at Units 1 and 2 are school-based.

For this unit students are required to demonstrate achievement of three outcomes. As a set these outcomes encompass all areas of study in the unit.

Required reading

The qualified trainer and assessor will provide teaching and learning materials as required in the form of workbooks produced by the Polytechnic and/or via the Polytechnic e-learning system.