SLSS1003: Semester 2, 2022

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Units SLSS1003 Semester 2 2022 [Normal day]

Unit of study_

SLSS1003: Law and Contemporary Society

Semester 2, 2022 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

This unit provides an understanding of the central themes and issues in social scientific analyses of the operation of law in society. After briefly outlining the various ways in which social life is organised in terms of law, the unit will examine a range of key concerns in the development of legal ideas, institutions and processes today, including the increasing legal regulation of private life, law and science, human rights, the globalisation of law, terrorism, risk and security, law and social inequality and citizenship.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	SLSS1003
Academic unit	Sociology and Criminology
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Sonja Van Wichelen, sonja.vanwichelen@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Allen George, allen.george@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Online task	Take Home Exercise Essay	40%	Formal exam period Due date: 07 Nov 2022 at 23:59	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Tutorial participation Participation in tutorial discussion and activities	10%	Ongoing	Throughout semester
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Tutorial write-up Short answer and tutorial discussion	10%	Ongoing	500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Socio-legal paragraph Written task	10%	Week 04 Due date: 29 Aug 2022 at 23:59	500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Essay Essay	30%	Week 08 Due date: 03 Oct 2022 at 23:59	1500 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Tutorial participation: Students are required to prepare for each tutorial by attending the lecture (or listening to it and reading over the lecture slides) completing the set reading for each tutorial and answering the tutorial questions, to think critically about all this material, bringing your ideas and knowledge to class and actively participating in the tutorial class activities.Your participation mark is based on participation, not merely attendance, the quality (not quantity) of your contributions which should demonstrate interaction with the lecture material.
Tutorial write-up: Students are required to prepare an answer(s) to a tutorial question(s) for one tutorial week’s topic in the semester, submit it to Turnitin and to discuss the prepared answer in that tutorial. This is an informal discussion of the prepared answer(s) and it is not a formal presentation.
Take-home exercise: A take-home exerice will be released in week 12, due in the first week of the exam period. Students will be required to write two essays.
All assessment tasks must be submitted in this unit otherwise a grade of Absent Fail (AF) will be applied.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

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
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

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.

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	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Everyday Law and Legal Consciousness	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Morality and Social Values	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Culture and Difference	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	Family and Relationships	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Forensic science and Expert Evidence	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	Bioethics and Biolaw	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Covid-19 and Pandemic Legalities	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	Globalization and Reproductive Rights	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	Intellectual Property and Inequality	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 10	Animals, Law, and Rights	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	Concluding Lecture	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.
Assignment submission: All assignments must be submitted in this unit. A grade of Absent Fail (AF) will be awarded to students who do not submit all pieces of assessment.

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 prescribed readings for the unit are available on 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. familiarise yourself with the nature and dynamics of Australian legal ideas, practices and institutions in their social, historical, cultural, political and economic contexts
LO2. address legal issues using the methods and perspectives of a variety of disciplines in the social sciences and investigate the issues central to those disciplines using the specific intellectual methods and materials of law and legal theory
LO3. demonstrate improved oral communication through individual participation in tutorial discussion groups and written communication skills through the submission of written assessment tasks
LO4. demonstrate strengthened analytical and research skills, including the ability to identify and evaluate different interpretations of an issue, present evidence and argument in support of your own particular position
LO5. demonstrate enhanced problem-solving skills and capacity to work to a particular goal as part of a group
LO6. understand how legal discourse and reasoning differs from other approaches to knowledge.

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.

A take-home exercise has replaced the formal exam

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

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