LAW 3527 - Public Law Internship Programme

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2017

The course helps to make students 'career ready' by placing them in "internships" with public law offices for a period of 22 days in total (semester 1 and 2) or 25 days (Summer semester). Semester 1 and 2 enrolments involve two intensive weeks over non-teaching weeks eg summer or winter break, followed by one day per week over the semester (with each day being a 71/2 hour day) or five weeks intensive over the summer semester. The internships enable students to build on their understanding of the theory of public law by gaining an appreciation of its practical operation. The course aims to give depth and context to students existing knowledge of public law. The course will begin with an orientation seminar. Students will be required to complete an agreed research task under the supervision of the course coordinator. The research task will be negotiated with the student and the course coordinator, and will build on the work the student completes during their internship. It is expected that students will also be involved in day-to-day activities of their internship office and gain a broad understanding of the operation of public law generally.

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Course Details

Course Code	LAW 3527
Course	Public Law Internship Programme
Coordinating Unit	Adelaide Law School
Term	Semester 1
Level	Undergraduate Law (LLB)
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	N
Prerequisites	LAW 2504
Restrictions	Available to LLB students only. Enrolment is by selection only, please consult with Course Coordinator for eligibility.
Assessment	Typically to include the preparation of a portfolio related to the placement and a research essay.

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Ms Cornelia Koch

Cornelia Koch
Ph: 8313 5713
Email: cornelia.koch@adelaide.edu.au

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course students will be able to

Undertake self-directed research in public law, analyse and synthesise public law information and materials.
Apply public law to complex practical issues, and critique the operation of public law from a policy perspective.
Structure and sustain concise and cohesive written arguments for a legal audience.
Undertake practical legal work at the highest level.
Analyse the impact of public law from policy perspectives and in the context of social and cultural diversity.
Reflect on their abilities to effectively undertake legal work in a practical setting.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	2
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	3
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	4
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	5
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	6

Learning & Teaching Activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

The internships enable students to build on their understanding of the theory of public law by gaining an appreciation of its practical operation. The course aims to give depth and context to students’ existing knowledge of public law. It is expected that students will be involved in day-to-day activities of their internship office and gain a broad understanding of how such organisations operate and of the operation of public law generally.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The University expects full-time students (ie those taking 12 units per semester) to devote a total of up to 48 hours per week to their studies. In law, this figure represents the bare minimum necessary to an understanding of the concepts covered.

Learning Activities Summary

There are no scheduled learning activities for this course. Instead, each student will be involved in the day to day activities of their host organisation and will be able to receive from the course coordinator regular feedback on their interim assessment as well as assistance in formulating their research essay question.

Specific Course Requirements

The course places students in "internships" for a total period of 22 days. In semester 1 this involves two intensive weeks over non-teaching weeks eg summer followed by one day per week over the semester, with each day being a 71/2 hour day.

Small Group Discovery Experience

There is no SGDE in this course.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary


Task	Weight	Due date	Length	Redeemable	Course Learning Outcomes
Research Essay	70%	To be negotiated; all work must be submitted no later than on the Monday of the second week of the June examination period.	3500 words	No	1, 2, 3, 5
3 x Diary Summaries	30%	Upon completion of: the first 10 placement days (summary 1) the next 6 placement days (summary 2) the final 6 placement days (summary 3)	500 words each	No	2, 4, 5, 6

Assessment Detail

(1) The Research Essay (3500 words) (worth 70%)

The topic of your research essay will be negotiated with the course co-ordinator. Ideally the focus of this essay should be on an aspect of your internship.

For example, if you are asked to research and write a paper for the organisation, you may use this as the basis of your essay as long as you have the organisation’s permission to do so. This permission is important, especially where the material you are looking at is of a confidential nature.

Alternatively, you can use your experience as the basis of your paper – eg. What are the limits of the Ombudsman’s powers? Why?

Your research essay must have a legal focus and include legal analysis.

The due date for the research essay will be negotiated between the student and the course co-ordinator, but all work must be submitted no later than on the Monday of the second week of the June examination period.

(2) Three Diary Summaries (3 x 500 words) (worth 30%)

The diary summaries should identify and analyse
(i) how the internship is helping to develop students' legal skills;
(ii) the applicable law; and
(iii) the effectiveness of the legal processes students are observing/interacting with.

The first of these summaries must be submitted after the first ten days at the placement agency so that feedback can be provided to assist in the preparation of subsequent summaries and preparation of the research essay.

Submission

PRESENTATION OF ASSIGNMENTS
Students must retain a copy of all assignments submitted.

All assignments must be submitted electronically on MyUni via Turnitin. This means that all papers will be electronically checked for plagiarism.
The research essay must:
1. Be footnoted (substantive footnotes will be included in the word count)
2. Be 1.5 or double-spaced and paginated
3. Have a cover sheet, table of contents and a bibliography
4. Adhere to the word limit.

ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES FOR REFERENCING
Students must use the Australian Guide to Legal Citation, available at

ASSIGNMENT EXTENSION APPLICATION
To apply for an extension of the period in which the assignment has to be submitted, please use the Assessment Task Extension application form that can be found at

RETURN OF ASSIGNMENTS AND FEEDBACK
Assignments will be returned to students within 4 weeks of the due date with written feedback or once marks have been approved by the Law School Board of Examiners.
Students must not submit work for an assignment that has previously been submitted for any other course.

Late Submission: 5% of the total mark possible will be deducted for every 24 hours or part thereof that the assignment is late, including each day on a weekend. For example, an essay that is submitted after the due date and time but within the first 24 hour period, and that has been graded at 63%, will have 5% deducted, for a final grade of 58%. An essay that is more than 24 hours
late will lose 10%, etc.

Word Length: Assignments which exceed the allocated length will be subject to a penalty of 5% of total marks possible per 100 words or part thereof (ie with a word limit of 3,000, an essay graded 63% will have 5% deducted if it is 3001 words long, for a final grade of 58%, 10% if it is 3101 words long, etc). Words are calculated including all headings within the text but excluding cover page information, table of contents and bibliography. Quotations and all text in footnotes excluding citations are included in the word count.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through .

Approval of Results by Board of Examiners

Students are reminded that all assessment results are subject to approval (and possible moderation/change) by the Law School’s Board of Examiners. Assessment results at the University are not scaled. Under the Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy, students are assessed ‘by reference to their performance against pre-determined criteria and standards … and not by ranking against the performance of the student cohort in the course’. However, under that same policy, the Board of Examiners (as the relevant Assessment Review Committee for courses at Adelaide Law School) is required to ‘ensure comparability of standards and consistency’ in assessment. On occasions, the Board of Examiners will form the view that some moderation is required to ensure the comparability of standards and consistency across courses and years, and accordingly provide fairness to all law students. All assessment results are therefore subject to approval (and possible change) until confirmed by the Board of Examiners and posted on Acess Adelaide at the end of each semester.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
The University Writing Centre provides academic learning and language development services and resources for local, international, undergraduate and postgraduate coursework students enrolled at the 成人大片.

The centre offers practical advice and strategies for students to master reading, writing, note-taking, time management, oral presentation skills, referencing techniques and exam preparation for success at university through seminars, workshops and individual consultations.

For more information please check out the Writing Centre website at

Lex Salus Program

Lex Salus was founded in 2013 by Adelaide Law School Wellbeing officers Ms Corinne Walding, Ms Kellie Toole and Dr Mark Giancaspro. Lex Salus is an initiative of the Adelaide Law School aimed at raising law student awareness of the importance of mental, physical and nutritional health across all year levels of the degree, and of the various counselling, disability and equity services both within and outside the University that can provide help. Research shows that law students, both in Australia and in many jurisdictions around the world, experience the highest levels of stress, anxiety and depression out of any other discipline. Many do not get enough sleep, maintain a healthy diet or achieve a realistic work/life balance. Making matters worse, they are unwilling or afraid to speak up for fear of feeling 'weak' or because of the negative stigma that attaches to seeking help. Lex Salus is dedicated to tackling these problems head-on.

Counselling Service

The University Counselling Service provides a free and confidential service to all enrolled students. We encourage you to contact the Counselling service on 8313 5663 to make an appointment to deal with any issues that may be affecting your study and life. More information is available at /counselling_centre/.
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Further information regarding the Law School Policies and Procedures in relation to Supplementary Assessment, Extensions, and remarks etc can befound at:

Plagiarism and other forms of cheating

Plagiarism is a serious act of academic misconduct. All students must be familiar with the Adelaide Law School Enrolment Guide, and should note in particular the sections relating to plagiarism, grievance procedures and academic conduct within the Law School and the University.

Plagiarism is a serious matter and is treated as such by the Law School and the University. Please be aware that “academic dishonesty” (which goes beyond plagiarism) can be a ground for a refusal by the Supreme Court of South Australia to refuse to admit a person to practice as a legal practitioner in South Australia.

Academic honesty is an essential aspect of ethical and honest behaviour, which is central to the practice of the law and an understanding of what it is to be a lawyer.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student鈥檚 disciplinary procedures.

The 成人大片 is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The 成人大片 therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator

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