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Unit of study_

LAWS6862: Hate Crime

2024 unit information

Hate crime has emerged as a global problem in the last few decades. Yet the concept itself is controversial. This unit aims to trace the development of the socio-legal concept of hate crime, causal explanations for hate crime and the different ways in which it is regulated. The unit will examine some the major forms of hate crime, including racist, ethno-religious and homophobic violence, with a focus on contemporary debates, such as: is violence against women a form of hate crime; should paedophiles be a protected category; should hate crimes attract higher punishment than other crimes? The unit will critically assess the international geography of hate crime law, making comparisons between Australia, the UK and the US. The unit will seek to provoke debate about how we should define and combat the problem of hate crime. Further information about this unit is available in the Sydney Law School timetable https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/4533/pages/postgraduate-lecture-timetable, unit of study outline https://www.sydney.edu.au/units and academic staff profile https://www.sydney.edu.au/law/about/our-people/academic-staff.html

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Law

Code LAWS6862
Academic unit Law
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
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None
Corequisites:
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None
Prohibitions:
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None
Assumed knowledge:
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None

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

  • LO1. Context and Concepts: A critical understanding of the historical, social, political and legal contexts contributing to the development of the concept of hate crime.
  • LO2. Nature of the Issue: A knowledge of the characteristics and prevalence of hate crime in Australia.
  • LO3. Legal Responses: Knowledge of, and ability to critique, the concept of hate crime, its interaction with the criminal justice system, and the various legal frameworks through which it may be regulated, policed and punished.
  • LO4. Independent analysis: The development of scholarly skills of independent analysis through the application of the above knowledge to a contemporary issue in hate crime.
  • LO5. Written Communication: the development of skills of communication through written assessment.

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2a 2024
Block mode Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1a 2021
Block mode Remote
Intensive April 2022
Block mode Remote
Intensive November 2023
Block mode Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Modes of attendance (MoA)

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Important enrolment information

Departmental permission requirements

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