Outline

Overview

The principal object of the unit is to give students a comprehensive overview of the most important practical and theoretical questions concerning the law of contractual damages in both Australia and throughout the Commonwealth more broadly. Given the voluminous case law and academic literature on the subject, our focus will be on a detailed examination of the most important and controversial decisions as well as the most thought-provoking academic commentary on those decisions and the theoretical questions that underpin them. More specifically, the unit considers: the measure and availability of damages for breach of contract at common law; the meaning and implications of the compensation principle; the principles that limit the availability of damages awards; the impact of contract termination on the assessment of 'loss of bargain' damages; the availability and justifiability of awarding alternative measures of damages for breach of contract; the principles governing the recovery of agreed (or liquidated) damages; theoretical approaches and critiques of the law of contract damages; and the assessment of contractual damages in circumstances where a concurrent damages claim for negligence is available.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	LAWS6874
Academic unit	Law
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	undergraduate law degree
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	David Winterton, david.winterton@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Participation	Class Participation (10%) Class Participation	0%	Multiple weeks	Throughout the unit
Outcomes assessed:
Final exam (Take-home extended release)	Take home exam (90%) Take home exam - Students must answer 2 essay questions from a choice of 8.	0%	Week 13 Due date: 06 Jun 2021 at 17:00	48 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Research Essay (90%) In depth research essay with choice of question.	0%	Week 13 Due date: 31 May 2021 at 16:00	7000 words
Outcomes assessed:
= Type E final exam ?

Assessment summary

Class Participation:

10% compulsory class participation mark based on your overall contribution to class discussion.

There is a choice of assessment for the remaining 90%:

Option 1: Research Essay (7000 words, release 6 March, due 31 May (4pm))

Essay topic choices will be posted on canvas, though a student may also suggest their own topic, subject to convenor approval.

Option 2: Extended Release Take-home Exam (48 hrs, release 4 June (5pm), due 6 June (5pm))

Students will have 48 hours to answer two essay questions from a choice of eight. Max word length for each question is 2,500 words.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	• Completely answers the question. • Contains striking originality of approach or analysis. • Demonstrates exhaustive or innovative research (where independent research required). • Exceptionally well written, structured and expressed. • Is otherwise exceptional in some way.
Distinction	75 - 84	• Completely answers the question. • Achieves a critical and evaluative approach to the issues. • Content and structure is well organised in support of the argument. • Demonstrates extensive research and analysis to support a well-documented argument. • Generally well expressed and free from errors. • Has a clear structure and is well articulated.
Credit	65 - 74	• Covers main issues fairly well in answering the question. • Contains no significant errors • Demonstrates an attempted critical approach to the issues. • Demonstrates reasonably sound research and analysis in addressing the key issues. • Has a clear structure and reasonably clear expression.
Pass	50 - 64	• Identifies the key issues, but does not follow through with a reasoned argument. • Contains some significant errors. • Displays satisfactory engagement with the key issues. • Offers descriptive summary of material relevant to the question. • Superficial use of material, and may display a tendency to paraphrase. • Demonstrates little evidence of in-depth research or analysis. • Adequate expression. • Overall, demonstrates the minimum level of competence in the assessment and satisfies the requirements to proceed to higher-level studies in the degree or subject area.
Fail	0 - 49	• Does not answer the question. • Contains significant or numerous errors. • Few or no identifiable arguments. • Content that is inappropriate or irrelevant. • Lack of research or analysis. • Difficult or impossible to understand through poor grammar, expression or structure. • Overall, does not demonstrate the minimum level of competence in the assessment.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades

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:

The late submission of a piece of assessment, which has not been granted an extension, will attract a penalty of 5% of the total marks available for the piece of assessment per calendar day or part thereof.

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
Ongoing	Course Overview, The Compensation Principle & the Concept of ‘Loss’, Assessment of Damages on a Market Basis, Damages Awards for Wasted Expenditure	Block teaching (6.5 hr)
	Limits on the Availability of Contractual Damages, Alternative Measures of Damages for Breach of Contract	Block teaching (6.5 hr)
	Specific Losses, Damages for Anticipatory Breach, The Impact of Termination on Damages Assessment, ‘Equitable Damages’ in Lieu of Specific Performance or an Injunction	Block teaching (6.5 hr)
	Liquidated Damages & Penalties, Theoretical Approaches and Economic Analysis of Contractual Damages, Assessment of Damages in Concurrent Claims for Negligence and Breach of Contract	Block teaching (6.5 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: All students are required to attend 70% of classes (or as otherwise specified by the Unit Coordinator) to satisfy the pass requirements for each unit of study. Attendance requirements may be satisfied by online attendance as specified by the Unit Coordinator. Failure to meet this requirement may result in a student being precluded from sitting the final assessment.

For units offered in Intensive mode, participation in all scheduled sessions may be expected by a Unit Coordinator in order to satisfy the requirements of the unit.

Word count penalty: A piece of assessment which exceeds the prescribed word limit will attract a penalty of 10% of the total marks available for the piece of assessment for every 100 words, or part thereof. The total word count for essay and other written assessments will exclude bibliography; footnote numbers; footnote citation; cover page and include body text; headings and sub-headings; quotations; anything other than numbers and citations in footnotes.

Referencing: The Sydney Law School expects you to use the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (4th edition, 2018) for your footnoting style, although you should confirm this with your lecturer, and a link to the library website where this is set out comprehensively is available at https://libguides.library.usyd.edu.au/c.php?g=508212&p=3476376

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

Please refer to the Reading List in Canvas.

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. Have an appreciation of both the primary and exceptional measures of damages available for breach of contract at common law.
LO2. Understand the meaning and implications of contract law's compensation principle.
LO3. Differentiate the principles applicable to claims for damages from those applicable to other common law and equitable remedies.
LO4. Understand the various principles that limit the recovery of damages for breach of contract as well as how these various principles interact.
LO5. Have developed a relatively sophisticated understanding of the leading Australian (and English) contractual damages decisions.
LO6. Understand the principles applicable to equitable damages in lieu of specific performance or an injunction and appreciate the differences in approach taken among the major Commonwealth jurisdictions
LO7. Understand the principles that govern the recovery of agreed (or liquidated) damages.
LO8. Differentiate and understand the implications of the various different theoretical approaches and critiques of the law of contract damages that are of prominence in the academic literature.

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.

This is the first time the unit has been offered since 2016. The main changes to the unit is that the content has been broadened to include an increased focus on academic commentary and key, unresolved problem in the law of contractual damages.

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

LAWS6874: Contractual Damages

Session 1 Early Census, 2021 [Block mode] - Remote

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