Overview

This unit provides students with a capstone supervised research experience. Students will research and write a substantial research paper on a topic approved by their academic supervisor. The unit gives students the opportunity to work closely with an academic with expertise in the student’s field of enquiry. It allows for engagement with a substantive area of law to plan, research and write a research paper that is relevant to current legal issues. The unit will also expose students to various legal research methodologies.

Requisites

Prerequisites
LAW30026 Legal Research Project

Rule

200 credit points required for LAW30026

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
29-July-2024
27-October-2024
Last self-enrolment date
11-August-2024
Census date
31-August-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
13-September-2024
Results released date
03-December-2024
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
03-March-2025
01-June-2025
Last self-enrolment date
16-March-2025
Census date
31-March-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
24-April-2025
Results released date
08-July-2025
Winter
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
23-June-2025
03-August-2025
Last self-enrolment date
23-June-2025
Census date
04-July-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
18-July-2025
Results released date
19-August-2025
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
04-August-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 legal issues relating to an area of the law chosen by the student, in consultation with an academic supervisor, by identifying a research problem
  • Design and plan a research proposal, including the development of research questions, and assimilate scholarly material from a range of sources to convince a reader of the need for the research
  • Produce a research paper through the evaluation and synthesis of relevant factual, legal and policy issues against the backdrop of the chosen theoretical propositions or legal methodologies that adequately addresses the research problem
  • Plan research time effectively

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Unspecified Activities
Independent Learning
12.50 12 weeks 150
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Design Research ProposalIndividual 20 - 30% 1,2,4 
Research ReportIndividual 70 - 80% 1,3,4 

Content

Under the supervision of an academic member of staff the student will identify a research topic relevant to the chosen legal field, develop a succinct research proposal and research and assemble an original dissertation.

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.