Studying online
There are now 2 possible online modes for units:
Units with modes Online timetabled and Online flexible are available for any student to self-enrol and study online.
Click on an offering mode for more details.
Unit Overview
- Description
This unit involves the completion of a short assessable proposal, followed by the submission of a 7000-word supervised research paper. It also requires attendance in or listening to a number of seminars prescribed for Advanced Legal Research A and B."
The unit aims to provide students with the opportunity to choose a specific topic on an area of the law which interests them, and to produce a written piece of legal research which is in a publishable form. It therefore promotes research skills and facilitates the publication of their work.
- Credit
- 6 points
- Offering
(see Timetable) Availability Location Mode Semester 1 UWA (Perth) Face to face Semester 2 UWA (Perth) Face to face - Outcomes
Students are able to (1) demonstrate independent legal research skills, including the location of journal articles and other publications relevant to their topic of research, time management, and independent thinking; (2) navigate the research project process; (3) construct a summary of the research to be undertaken, including strategising methodology to be used and clarifying the scope of the research, to justify the value of the research; and (4) appraise and argue a very specific, narrow and particular legal theory and/or legal issue.
- Assessment
Indicative assessments in this unit are as follows: (1) submission of a 1000-word research proposal and (2) submission of a 7000-word research paper on a topic approved by the student's supervisor. Further information is available in the unit outline.
Supplementary assessment is not available in this unit.
- Unit Coordinator(s)
- Dr Melanie O'Brien
- Unit rules
- Prerequisites
- LAWS4101 Foundations of Law and Lawyering
and 30 points) ) - Advisable prior study
- It is advisable to have previously completed
or to be currently enrolled in a unit appropriate for the chosen topic for the research paper.
For students without a recognised Law degree, LAWS4227 Foundations of Law and Legal Institutions is an advisable prerequisite.
Enrolment is subject to the approval of the Unit Coordinator.
- Contact hours
- This research unit involves unstructured contact with a supervisor throughout the semester.
- Note
- Students must not enrol in this unit until they have discussed the suitability and relevance of a potential topic with the proposed supervisor. Enrolment in this unit is conditional on the availability of an appropriate supervisor and approval by the Unit Coordinator.
This unit must be completed in one semester. Students can enrol in this unit in either Semester 1 or Semester 2 of any year.
The process is: (1) Request the Supervisor Nomination Form from the Unit Co-ordinator and ask for advice about identifying a supervisor; (2) Student identifies a potential thesis topic, and then identifies a suitable supervisor with expertise in this area. Your supervisor will ideally be a Law School academic staff member. A full list of academic staff can be found here https://www.law.uwa.edu.au/contact/staff; (3) approach your proposed supervisor to discuss their availability to supervise and your proposed topic; (4) complete the application form, and ask the supervisor who has agreed to supervise to sign the form; (5) Send the completed form to the Unit Coordinator via email (pay attention to the deadline), and meanwhile enrol in the unit online by yourself; (6) Once the above processes are completed, your online enrolment will still remain 'invalid' but the Law Support Office will enrol you manually into the unit. Please note, if you do not complete and return your Supervisor Nomination Form, you will not be enrolled in the unit and your enrolment will remain ‘invalid'.
Guidelines for style, format and submission of research papers are the same as for Advanced Legal Research dissertations; refer to the Advanced Legal Research Guidelines on LMS.
THE DUE DATE FOR THIS PAPER IS 4PM ON THE FINAL DAY OF SEMESTER; THAT IS, FRIDAY BEFORE STUDY WEEK BEGINS. - Texts
Students are required to read relevant chapters of the below texts (more detail in unit outline):
Mike McConville, and Wing Hong (Eric) Chui (eds.), Research Methods for Law, (2nd ed., Edinburgh University Press, 2017).
Dawn Watkins and Mandy Burton, Research Methods in Law, (2nd ed., Routledge, 2017).
Terry Hutchinson, Researching and Writing the Law (4th ed, Lawbook Thomson Reuters, 2018).
- The availability of units in Semester 1, 2, etc. was correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change.
- All students are responsible for identifying when they need assistance to improve their academic learning, research, English language and numeracy skills; seeking out the services and resources available to help them; and applying what they learn. Students are encouraged to register for free online support through GETSmart; to help themselves to the extensive range of resources on UWA's STUDYSmarter website; and to participate in WRITESmart and (ma+hs)Smart drop-ins and workshops.
- Visit the Essential Textbooks website to see if any textbooks are required for this Unit. The website is updated regularly so content may change. Students are recommended to purchase Essential Textbooks, but a limited number of copies of all Essential Textbooks are held in the Library in print, and as an ebook where possible. Recommended readings for the unit can be accessed in Unit Readings directly through the Learning Management System (LMS).
- Contact hours provide an indication of the type and extent of in-class activities this unit may contain. The total amount of student work (including contact hours, assessment time, and self-study) will approximate 150 hours per 6 credit points.
Face to face
Predominantly face-to-face. On campus attendance required to complete this unit. May have accompanying resources online.
Online flexible
100% Online Unit. NO campus face-to-face attendance is required to complete this unit. All study requirements are online only. Unit is asynchronous delivery, with NO requirement for students to participate online at specific times.
Online timetabled
100% Online Unit. NO campus face-to-face attendance is required to complete this unit. All study requirements are online only. Unit includes some synchronous components, with a requirement for students to participate online at specific times.
Online Restricted
Not available for self-enrolment. Students access this mode by contacting their student office through AskUWA. 100% Online Unit.
NO campus face-to-face attendance. All study and assessment requirements are online only. Unit includes some timetabled activities, with a requirement for students to participate online at specific times. In exceptional cases (noted in the Handbook) students may be required to participate in face-to-face laboratory classes when a return to UWA’s Crawley campus becomes possible in order to be awarded a final grade.
External
No attendance or regular contact is required, and all study requirements are completed either via correspondence and/or online submission.
Off-campus
Regular attendance is not required, but student attends the institution face to face on an agreed schedule for purposes of supervision and/or instruction.
Multi-mode
Multiple modes of delivery. Unit includes a mix of online and on-campus study requirements. On campus attendance for some activities is required to complete this unit.