Law and Social Science
24 hours face to face + blended + swinburne online
One Semester or equivalent
Hawthorn, Online
Available to incoming Study Abroad and Exchange students
Overview
This unit provides students with basic and foundational knowledge regarding law and the social sciences as well as an understanding of the challenges and opportunities relating to the confluence of the two disciplines, including across areas such as jury decision-making, eyewitness testimony and expert evidence.
Requisites
Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Teaching Period 3
Location
Online
Start and end dates
04-November-2024
09-February-2025
09-February-2025
Last self-enrolment date
17-November-2024
Census date
29-November-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
27-December-2024
Results released date
04-March-2025
Teaching Period 2
Location
Online
Start and end dates
07-July-2025
05-October-2025
05-October-2025
Last self-enrolment date
20-July-2025
Census date
01-August-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
22-August-2025
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
04-August-2025
02-November-2025
02-November-2025
Last self-enrolment date
17-August-2025
Census date
31-August-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
19-September-2025
Results released date
09-December-2025
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the interaction of legal principles with social science principles
- Describe and evaluate the considerations that influence decision making by judges and jurors
- Conduct research and use the results of that research to recommend solutions to impaired perception and decision making in the criminal law
- Discuss the confluence of law and social science and the implications for the legal system
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-campus Class | 2.00 | 12 weeks | 24 |
| Online Lecture | 1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
| Unspecified Activities Independent Learning | 9.50 | 12 weeks | 114 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment | Individual | 50 - 60% | 1,2,3,4 |
| Portfolio | Individual | 40 - 50% | 1,2,3,4 |
Content
- Understanding crime from a social science perspective
- Understanding crime from a legal perspective
- The considerations that influence decision making by judges and jurors
- The considerations that influence decision making by police and enforcement agencies
- The considerations that influence decision making by correctional agencies
- Integrating law and social sciences to impact criminal activity
- Integrating law and social sciences to improve offender rehabilitationÂ
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.