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Course

UNSW Law Postgraduate Internship - LAWS8173

Faculty: Faculty of Law

School: Faculty of Law

Course Outline: See below

Campus: Sydney

Career: Postgraduate

Units of Credit: 6

EFTSL: 0.12500 (more info)

Indicative Contact Hours per Week: 2

Enrolment Requirements:

Prerequisite: Academic Program must be either 9200 or 9210 or 9230 or 9231 or 9235 or 9285 or 9214 or 9281 or 9240.

Excluded: LAWS8052

CSS Contribution Charge: 3 (more info)

Tuition Fee: See Tuition Fee Schedule

Further Information: See Class Timetable

View course information for previous years.

Description

The UNSW Law Postgraduate Internships subject is an experiential learning program. In this course students will put their legal and advocacy skills and knowledge to use and gain practical experience of law in action. At the same time students will be critically analysing the operation of law, lawyers and legal policy as well as conducting work in research, policy and community legal education. Through policy, client work, advocacy and law reform projects the program aims to strengthen students’ practical skills in research, writing, advocacy, problem-solving, team work and independent judgment. Students will spend a minimum of 1 day (7 hours-9am to 5pm) at their placement organisation each week for 12 weeks or the equivalent. Some internship placement oganisations will be considerably longer. Students will be allocated individual academic supervisors and attend program seminars. Students will only be permitted to undertake one internship and students who have completed LAWS 8052 Human Rights Internship (where placements take place in Human Rights Organisations) will not be entitled to enrol in this course and vice versa.


Recommended Prior Knowledge

Students should be able to conduct in depth research, have good communication skills both oral and written and meet the demands of a professional workplace.

Course Aims

A candidate who has successfully completed this course should be able to:
  • Develop knowledge of law, practice and procedure
  • Apply research, writing and problem-solving skills in formulating policy and legal responses
  • Develop practical lawyering skills, including drafting, interviewing and advocacy skills, while gaining experience in producing timely and professional written work that may be relied upon by other professionals;
  • Enhance skills required to engage professionally with a variety of stakeholders, demonstrating an understanding of ethical, political and professional accountability issues
  • Think critically about the role of law in society, and the role of law, lawyers

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of this course, students should be able to:
  • Apply research, writing and problem-solving skills in formulating policy and legal responses to current problems
  • Apply a basic understanding of law, practice and procedure to issues in a workplace
  • Demonstrate basic lawyering skills, including oral and written communication and drafting skills, and the ability to produce timely and professional written work-product that may be relied upon by other professionals.
  • Critically evaluate the role of law in society, and the role of law, lawyers
  • Engage professionally with different stakeholders demonstrating an understanding of ethical, political and professional accountability issues

Assessment

The internship is assessed on a pass/fail basis. Students must achieve a pass mark in all forms of assessment to pass the internship as a whole. Assessments include: Reflective Journals, Placement Evaluation, Seminar Attendance and Oral Presentation.

Course Texts

No texts are required for this course. A number of resources will be made available on Blackboard/Moodle for this course including the course outline, reading materials and information related to the administration of the internship.
Refer to Course Outline provided by lecturer at the beginning of the relevant session.
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Study Levels

Undergraduate Study Postgraudate Study Postgraduate Research Study Non-Award Study

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