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Media / Law - 4781

Program Summary

 
Faculty: Faculty of Law
 
 
Contact: Faculty of Law
 
 
Campus: Kensington Campus
 
 
Career: Undergraduate
 
 
Typical Duration: 5 Years
 
 
Typical UOC Per Semester: 24
 
 
Min UOC Per Semester: 6
 
 
Max UOC Per Semester: 24
 
 
Min UOC For Award: 240
 
 
Award(s):
 
 
Bachelor of Laws
 
 
Bachelor of Media
 
  

Program Description

International Students: please note that there is no mid-year intake for this program.

This program combines the professional Bachelor of Laws with the Bachelor of Media.

The Bachelor of Media provides conceptual underpinnings in media studies with foundational skills and concepts that are relevant to career pathways in a broad range of media production, professional communication and journalism, audio-visual industries, and public relations and advertising.

This degree combination is relevant to students interested in becoming media lawyers, or in media industries (e.g. web design and production, gaming and interactive virtual environments, design and distribution), audio-visual production industries (e.g. multimedia or screen director, editor, sound designer, producer and other roles within video and audio production as well as areas as diverse as film criticism, arts administration, festival programming, communication research and media marketing), journalism, corporate and organisational communication, public sector communication, and public relations.

Students will be immersed in the culture and philosophy of media studies through their courses in the media core and will specialise in one of the four plans - media production, communication & journalism, screen & sound or public relations and advertising.

First and second levels cover contextual media studies, and practical and theoretical skills in the specialisations. As students proceed into the third level, the program expands and deepens knowledge and understanding of these theories and skills.

Program Objectives and Learning Outcomes

Students are prepared for a leadership role in the thoughtful application of communication skills to the professional and journalistic domains, media production technologies or audio-visual media technologies, informed by a solid understanding of media theory.

In Media Production students are not simply skilled up in the use of computers and media applications, but are encouraged to become media innovators who are able to tackle complex issues by drawing on their integrated practical and theoretical expertise.

They are encouraged to test out emerging ideas and developments and look for novel ways to approach the design of the media such as, web sites, games and other areas of the expanding contemporary media industry. Graduates will have expertise in a wide range of interactive and animation tools, but more importantly, they will be able to interpret and reflect on emerging media practices, enabling them to take leading creative roles in the rapidly changing media industries.

In Communication and Journalism students are not simply skilled up as writers, but are encouraged to become powerful, influential and strategic communicators who are able to tackle complex issues by drawing on their integrated practical and theoretical expertise.

They are encouraged to engage with emerging communication practices in both print-based and participatory online media, and to look for novel ways to produce and evaluate texts in these domains. Graduates will have expertise in a range of foundational communication skills, but more importantly, they will be able to contribute to, evaluate and intervene in emerging practices, enabling them to take leading roles in these rapidly changing industries.

In Screen and Sound students are not simply skilled up in the use of video and sound recorders, computers and media applications, but are encouraged to become media innovators who are able to tackle complex issues by drawing on their integrated practical and theoretical expertise.

Students become immersed in the current culture of contemporary audio-visual media production and theory. They are encouraged to test out emerging ideas and developments and look for novel ways to approach the production of the audio-visual media. Graduates will gain foundational expertise in a range of audio and visual production tools, but more importantly, they will be able to interpret and reflect on emerging media practices, enabling them to take leading creative roles in the rapidly changing audio-visually based media industries.

In Public Relations and Advertising offers students are not simply skilled up in theoretical and applied knowledge in public relations and advertising, but are encouraged to become communication leaders who inspire innovation and change at all levels of society and adhere to the highest ethical standards.

Students will examine the role and responsibilities of persuasive communication in a democratic society and learn how to add value through engagement in social and environmental innovation and enterprise. The program will offer students the opportunity to reflect critically upon how their vocational skills operate within and are mediated by political, economic, mediatised and social discourses and the dynamics of industry, governments, markets, consumer cultures, valuing regimes and society. Modes of professional communication including informative, persuasive, political, creative, promotional, digital and interpersonal discourse will be examined. The program also aims to develop an in-depth understanding of how to ethically engage with publics and communities, creatively engage with communication concepts and production technology, and professionally engage with organisational practices.

Program Structure

Total Unit Requirements
  • Law compulsory courses - 92 UOC
  • Law elective courses - 64 UOC
  • Arts & Social Science Courses - 84 UOC
  • Total 240 UOC
An approved sequence of study can be found here:

Plan for Media/Law 4781

For detailed plan oultines of Media major sequences please check the following links:

MDIAC14781 Communication and Journalism

MDIAM14781 Media Production

MDIAS14781 Screen and Sound

MDIAP14781 Public Relations and Advertising

General Education Requirements

Students enrolled in a combined law degree (with exception to Jurisprudence/Law) are not required to complete general education courses.

Honours

Honours can be taken in either or both of the Bachelor of Media and Bachelor of Laws parts of the degree.

Honours in the BMedia Program

Admission to Honours in the BMedia Program is subject to resources and decision of the Head of School of English, Media and Performance Arts in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Law. At least one and possibly two additional years of study are required.

Rules for the award of Honours in the Bachelor of Laws

Award of Honours
The Bachelor of Laws (LLB) will be awarded with the following levels of Honours:

Honours Class 1
Honours Class 2, Division 1
Honours Class 2, Division 2

The award of Honours in the LLB program is based on two requirements:

1) the Weighted Average Mark (WAM); and
2) satisfactory performance in written research.

1) Weighted average mark

In general terms, students who score a Law WAM in the top 10% of the graduating cohort in each semester will be eligible for the award of Honours Class 1; students with a WAM in the next 10% will be eligible for the award of Honours Class 2, Division 1; and students with a WAM in the next 10% will be eligible for the award of Honours Class 2, Division 2.
All courses taken towards the Law degree will be taken into account for written research requirements, but only those taken at UNSW Law School will count towards the WAM.

2) Satisfactory performance in written research

To demonstrate “satisfactory performance in written research” a student must complete one long substantial piece or three shorter substantial pieces of research writing in their program. In particular, a student must attain at least a credit grade either in LAWS2423 Research Thesis (8 uoc) or (16 uoc); or LAWS3423 Research Thesis (6 uoc) or (12 uoc); or in each of three (3) research papers of at least 3000 words each, taken in any three (3) courses in the LLB program.
At the time of enrolment in courses in their final semester, students who have demonstrated satisfactory performance in written research must submit an approved Honours Nomination Form to the Honours Committee detailing the basis upon which the research requirement has been met, and the course or courses in which the requisite grades were attained. If a student has not met the Honours research requirement before the end of their penultimate semester, he or she must notify the Honours committee of the LLB courses in which they propose to meet the requirement before the census date in their last semester.

Failures and Academic Misconduct

In no circumstances will a student be eligible for the award of Honours if he or she has

(a) failed more than one course in the LLB program;
(b) been found guilty of plagiarism or serious misconduct on more than one occasion.

Academic Rules

For Academic Rules relating to the Bachelor of Laws component of this combined degree program, please refer to progam 4790. Although 4790 program is no longer on offer, all combined law students enrolled in the LLB will need to comply with the rules stated here. A direct link is given below:

Bachelor of Laws 4790

Fees

For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website:  https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/fees/FeesMainPage.html

Area(s) of Specialisation

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© The University of New South Wales (CRICOS Provider No.: 00098G), 2004-2011. The information contained in this Handbook is indicative only. While every effort is made to keep this information up-to-date, the University reserves the right to discontinue or vary arrangements, programs and courses at any time without notice and at its discretion. While the University will try to avoid or minimise any inconvenience, changes may also be made to programs, courses and staff after enrolment. The University may also set limits on the number of students in a course.