ATAR, Category A Board Developed Course
2 Units in each of Preliminary and HSC
What will I be doing in this course?
The Preliminary course develops students' knowledge and understanding of the nature and functions of law and law-making, the development of Australian and international legal systems, the Australian constitution and law reform. It examines an individual's rights and responsibilities, how disputes are resolved and examines a contemporary issue concerning the individual and technology. Students have the opportunity to investigate issues that illustrate how the law operates in practice. This is achieved by investigating, analysing and synthesising legal information and investigating legal issues from a variety of perspectives.
The HSC course investigates the key areas of law, justice and human rights through a variety of focus studies that consider how changes in societies influence law reform.
Preliminary Course:
Part 1 – The Legal System (40% of course time)
Part 2 - The Individual and the Law ( 30% of class time)
Part 3 - The Law in Practice (30% of class time)
HSC Course:
Core Part 1 – Crime (30% of course time)
Core Part 2 – Human Rights (20% of class time)
Part 3 – 2 options (50% of course time)
Two options are chosen from:
- Consumers
- Global Environment and Protection
- Family
- Indigenous people
- Shelter
- Workplace
- World order
What should I be able to do at the end of the course?
- Use and understand terms used in the legal process
- Recognise legal problems and demonstrate logical reasoning in applying legal principles
- Develop a working knowledge of the Australian legal system
- Understand the evolution of the current legal system
- Evaluate the effectiveness of our legal system.
How will this course help me in the future?
The course is not designed to prepare you for further study in the law but rather prepare you to participate effectively in everyday life. The course is designed to foster intellectual, social and moral development by empowering students to think critically about the role of the law and legal institutions in society.