13249 (v.3) Information Studies 398 - Legal Reference
| Area: | Department of Media and Information |
| Credits: | 25.0 |
| Contact Hours: | 3.0 |
| Seminar: | 1 x 3 Hours Weekly |
| Syllabus: | The Australian legal system. The structure of government. The judiciary. Statute law and common law. Federal and state jurisdictions. The creation of legislation. Government publications related to the legal system. Law reports and the doctrine of precedence. Legal reference sources including digests, citators and legal encyclopedias. Secondary legal materials. The Internet and other forms of automated legal research. International legal research. The various types of law libraries. |
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| Unit Outcomes: | On successful completion of this unit, students will have- An awareness of the major types of law operating in Australia, including statute law, delegated legislation and the common law. An understanding of the process by which legislation is created andbecomes law. An understanding of major principles of the Australian legal system, including the 'doctrine of precedence'. The ability to conduct legal research, using both primary and secondary Australian legal material, and in both manual and automated forms. An awareness of the different categories of law libraries and the function each plays in supporting the various arms of the legal community. |
| Text and references listed above are for your information only and current as of September 30, 2003. Please check with the unit coordinator for up-to-date information. |
| Unit References: | Campbell, E. et al. (1996), Legal research: materials and methods (fourth edition). Sydney, LBC Information Services. Dayal, S. and Davey, S. (1998), LDL online 1998: computer-assisted legal research. Sydney, Butterworths. Morris, Gwen. et al. (2001), Laying down the law (fifth edition). Sydney, Butterworths. Research Staff, School of Law Deakin University. (1997), Researching Australian law. North Ryde, LBC Information Services. Watt, Robert. (2001), Concise legal research (fourth edition). Sydney, Federation Press. Wood, Christopher. (1999), Effective legal research on the Internet. Sydney, Young Lawyers. |
| Unit Texts: | Nemes, I. and Coss, G. (2001), Effective legal research (second edition). Sydney, Butterworths. |
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| Unit Assessment Breakdown: | Exam 40%, Practical assignment (6) 60%. This is by grade/mark assessment. |
Current as of: February 2, 2004
CRICOS provider code 00301J
