Australian Legal System in Context

This foundation unit introduces students to the 'nuts and bolts' of the Australian Legal system and legal reasoning. In addition, it offers a selection of socio-political contexts within which to situate and critically evaluate the contemporary Australian legal system. This unit provides a foundation for the study of law at Victoria University and, as such, successful completion is a pre-requisite for progression through the Law course.



This unit:

• Provides students with a working foundation in the technical structure of Australian legal systems and legal reasoning, using applied practical teaching and learning methods;

• Exposes students to ways of making sense of Australian legal systems and legal process in a legal academic way, using selected contexts from criminal and private law;

• Introduces students to the broader contexts in which legal issues may arise, including the political, social, historical, philosophical and economic contexts; and

• Inducts students in the ways of the lawyer, including and legal reasoning and appropriate language use and structure using reflective, applied and theory-based teaching and learning methods.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Analyse the components of Australian legal systems, and elaborate how these components intersect and interact, and how lawyers use these systems;
2. Communicate using appropriate professional legal language and express ideas and perspectives;
3. Situate and analyse Australian legal systems within broader contemporary social and political contexts;
4. Articulate and write about law in a coherent and professional way; and
5. Work collaboratively and independently to use legal reasoning, (including statutory interpretation and application of case law) to create and present logical structured answers to problem-style legal questions.
6. Participate in an academic community through reflective and critical engagement in academic texts and understanding of principles of academic integrity.