LS033 - Legal Studies 3

Unit code: LS033 | Study level: TAFE

Credit points

N/A

Location

Footscray Nicholson

Prerequisites

N/A

Overview

The Victorian justice system, which includes the criminal and civil justice systems, aims to protect the rights of individuals and uphold the principles of justice: fairness, equality and access. In this unit students examine the methods and institutions in the justice system and consider their appropriateness in determining criminal cases and resolving civil disputes. Students consider the Magistrates’ Court, County Court and Supreme Court within the Victorian court hierarchy, as well as other Victorian legal institutions and bodies available to assist with cases. Students explore matters such as the rights available to an accused and to victims in the criminal justice system, the roles of the judge, jury, legal practitioners and the parties, and the ability of sanctions and remedies to achieve their purposes. Students investigate the extent to which the principles of justice are upheld in the justice system. They discuss recent reforms from the past four years and recommended reforms to enhance the ability of the justice system to achieve the principles of justice. Throughout this unit, students apply legal reasoning and information to actual and/or hypothetical scenarios.

This unit is delivered in Year 12.

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 explain the rights of the accused and of victims in the criminal justice system, discuss the means used to determine criminal cases and evaluate the ability of the criminal justice system to achieve the principles of justice.

Outcome 2
On completion of this unit the student should be able to analyse the factors to consider when initiating a civil claim,
discuss the institutions and methods used to resolve civil disputes and evaluate the ability of the civil justice system to achieve the principles of justice.

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

SCHOOL-BASED ASSESSMENT

Satisfactory completion
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 assessment tasks will provide a range of opportunities for students to demonstrate the key knowledge and key skills in the outcomes.
Assessment of levels of achievement
The student’s level of achievement in Unit 3 will be determined by School-assessed Coursework (SAC). SAC will be completed mainly in class and within a limited time-frame.

SAC for Unit 3 will contribute 25 per cent to the study score.
SAC for Unit 4 will contribute 25 per cent to the study score (LS034 Legal Studies 4).

EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT
The level of achievement for Units 3 and 4 is also assessed by an end-of-year examination, which will contribute 50 per cent to the study score.

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.