Outline

Overview

What are states? Should we have them? This unit of study seeks to enable critical reflection on (i) various conceptions of the state and (ii) various arguments for and against it.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	LAWS3501
Academic unit	Law
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	LAWS5201
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Kevin Walton, kevin.walton@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Participation	Leading the Discussion Class participation	10%	Ongoing	N/A
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	Questions and Comments on Texts Small continuous assessment	10%	Ongoing	N/A
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Critical Response to Discussion Short Essay	15%	Week 06 Due date: 05 Sep 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 12 Sep 2023	750 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Essay Proposal Essay Proposal	15%	Week 09 Due date: 03 Oct 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 10 Oct 2023	750 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Research Essay Essay	50%	Week 13 Due date: 03 Nov 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 31 Dec 2023	3000 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Leading the Discussion (10%): Students receive a mark out of ten for leading the class discussion in a specific week. In the particular week to which they are assigned, students are on call, which means that they should be ready to raise their own and answer others’ (including the teacher’s) questions about the required reading.

Questions and Comments on Texts (10%): Students receive a mark out of ten for the questions and comments about the required reading that they submit throughout the semester either before or within one week of the class in which the reading is examined.

Critical Response to Discussion (15%): Students must write a critical response to the class discussion in Week 5. Their response should be no more than 750 words and should be submitted on or before Tuesday 5 September 2023.

Essay Proposal (15%): Students must submit a proposal for their research essay. Their proposal should be no more than 750 words and should be submitted on or before Tuesday 3 October 2023.

Research Essay (50%): Each student must submit a research essay. This essay (3000 words) should demonstrate critical engagement with a relevant topic based on independent research. The research essay is due on or before Friday 3 November 2023.

Students must retain pre-submitted drafts of their assessments on file.

Word-limits: The total word-count for written work excludes the title-page, citations in footnotes and any bibliography, but includes everything else, such as headings, sub-headings, quotations (including epigraphs) and, even if it does not seem substantive, anything other than citations in footnotes. Failure to comply with the word-limit will be penalised at a rate of 10% of the total mark for the assignment for every 100 words in excess of the limit. A Research Essay of 3099 words, for example, will not be penalised, but a paper of 3100 words will lose five marks. Penalties for excessive length will be strictly applied.

Use of editors or proof-readers: The use of assistance in preparing and editing assessment tasks in this unit of study is strictly prohibited. Assistance includes human and automated writing tools (not including spell checking).

Referencing requirements: When citing material in written work, students should rely consistently on an accepted method, such as that specified in The Australian Guide to Legal Citation (4th ed).

Special Consideration: Successful grants of Special Consideration may involve alternative tasks, as appropriate.

Assessment requirements to pass this unit of study: A student must make a genuine attempt at all assessment tasks in order to obtain a Pass grade (or above); otherwise an Absent Fail grade will be recorded as the student’s result for this unit of study.

Assessment criteria

A High Distinction (85-100) indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction (75-84) a very high standard, a Credit (65-74) a good standard, and a Pass (50-64) an acceptable standard

The mark out of 10 for Leading the Discussion and the mark out of 10 for Questions and Comments on Texts are determined using the following grid:

	Exceptional	Very high	Good	Acceptable	Unacceptable
Comprehension
Analysis
Extent of input

The mark out of 15 for the Critical Response to Discussion is determined using the following grid:

	Exceptional	Very high	Good	Acceptable	Unacceptable
Comprehension
Analysis
Structure
Expression

The mark out of 15 for the Essay Proposal and the mark out of 50 for the Research Essay are determined using the following grid:

	Exceptional	Very high	Good	Acceptable	Unacceptable
Comprehension
Analysis
Structure
Expression
Research

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

A student who has not obtained an extension by applying successfully for Special Consideration will be penalised for late submission of written work at a rate of 10% of the total mark for the assignment per day or part-day (including weekends and public holidays). Penalties for late submission will be strictly applied. This means, for example, that five marks will be deducted from a Research Essay that is submitted at 00:01 on Saturday 4 November 2023.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction and Skinner	Seminar (4 hr)
Week 02	Hobbes	Seminar (4 hr)
Week 03	Locke	Seminar (4 hr)
Week 04	Hume	Seminar (4 hr)
Week 05	Rousseau	Seminar (4 hr)
Week 07	Macaulay and Nozick	Seminar (4 hr)
Week 08	Pateman and Mills	Seminar (4 hr)
Week 10	Godwin and Bakunin	Seminar (4 hr)
Week 11	Kropotkin and Gandi	Seminar (4 hr)
Week 12	Goldman and Rothbard	Seminar (4 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: Students are required to attend at least 70% of classes. Students who fail to attend at least 70% of classes will receive an Absent Fail grade unless granted an exemption by the teacher.

Teaching and Learning Strategy: Seminars are discussion-based. Students must prepare for each seminar by reading and reflecting on designated texts. Participation in class discussions enables students to develop their understanding of and their ability to think critically about the issues with which the texts are concerned.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

The required readings are available electronically through the Canvas site.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Demonstrate knowledge of theories of the state.
LO2. Critically analyse and assess theories of the state.
LO3. Present orally and in writing theories of the state.
LO4. Conduct research on theories of the state.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

The teacher welcomes student feedback on this unit of study.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

LAWS3501: Theories of the State

Semester 2, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect