University of Technology SydneyHandbook 2007

C10134v3 Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Social Inquiry) Bachelor of Laws

Award(s): Bachelor of Arts in Communication (BA)
Bachelor of Laws (LLB)

UAC code: 609003 (CSP), 619003 (DFEE)
CRICOS code: 032311J
Commonwealth supported place?: Yes
Load credit points: 244
Course EFTSL: 5.08
Faculty/institute responsible: Law
Collaborating faculty/institute: Humanities and Social Sciences
Location: City campus

Note(s)

This course is currently being revised and new course completion requirements will be in place for 2008. Current students should check the Faculty of Law website for further information.


Overview
Course aims
Career options
Additional assumed knowledge
Course duration and attendance
Course structure
Industrial training/professional practice
Course completion requirements
Course diagram
Course program
Professional recognition
Other information

Overview

The Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Social Inquiry) Bachelor of Laws is offered jointly by the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. The course is designed for students who want to use their professional legal qualification together with social research, policy development and political advocacy. It aims to promote understanding of how communities and political systems work, along with positive and effective intervention skills.

The combination of communication, social science and law puts students at the forefront of social change. This course integrates theory and practice through project work with possibilities for professional attachment. As many law graduates do not work as lawyers after graduation, the social inquiry subjects broaden students' employment options as well as extending their knowledge of the broader context in which the legal system operates.

Course aims

The course aims to provide students with a range of professional and analytical skills grounded in sociology, social policy, politics, public history and international studies, for either legal or social science practice.

Career options

Career options include legal practitioner in community, public sector, business or media organisations as advocates, policy makers, political activists, political advisers or social or media researchers.

Additional assumed knowledge

HSC English and computer literacy.

Course duration and attendance

The course is offered on a five-year, full-time basis in which the Arts degree studies are integrated with studies in Law. Students are required to attend approximately 17 hours of seminars and lectures per week, and may be required to attend evening classes.

Course structure

The course comprises 244 credit points. It allows students to graduate with the separate degrees of Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Social Inquiry) and Bachelor of Laws. The study components for course completion are as follows:

The Law component of 144 credit points is made up of:

  • 96 credit points of compulsory core law subjects (14 subjects)
  • 24 credit points of law options (four subjects), and
  • either 24 credit points of practical legal training subjects (five subjects) or an additional 24 credit points of law options (four subjects).

The Arts component of 100 credit points is made up of:

  • 36 credit points of compulsory first-year (100-level) subjects (six subjects)
  • 56 credit points of subjects from Disciplinary and/or Professional Strands where specified (seven subjects), and
  • 8 credit points of Elective Studies (one subject).

Industrial training/professional practice

To practice as a legal practitioner in NSW students must successfully complete an accredited legal qualification (i.e. Bachelor of Laws) and an accredited course of practical legal training, such as the UTS Practical Legal Training (PLT) program.

Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Laws or combined Bachelor of Laws degrees have the option of completing five of the eight PLT subjects within their undergraduate degree and the other three PLT subjects concurrently within the Graduate Certificate in Legal Practice (C11128).

Further details about the PLT program can be found online at:

Course completion requirements

STM90447 Humanities stream 100cp
STM90401 Law stream 144cp
Total 244cp

Course diagram



Course program

The standard program shown is for a full-time student who has elected to undertake practical legal training within the LLB. Students have the choice of commencing practical legal training within the LLB in the final semester of study or attempting an additional 24 credit points of Law options. Students who elect to undertake practical legal training within the LLB must concurrently enrol in the Graduate Certificate in Legal Practice (C11128). All options shown are Law options and are to be drawn from those on offer in CBK90042.

 
Year 1
Autumn semester
STM90446  
      50105 Communication and Information Environments 6cp
      50107 Rethinking Culture 6cp
      50109 Power and Change in Australia 6cp
STM90382  
      50120 Introduction to Social Inquiry 6cp
Spring semester
STM90446  
      50111 Colonialism and Modernity 6cp
STM90382  
      50121 Theory and Method 6cp
STM90401  
      70105 Legal Research 4cp
      70113 Legal Process and History 10cp
Year 2
Autumn semester
STM90382  
      50164 Research Methods 1 8cp
STM90401  
      70217 Criminal Law 6cp
      70211 Law of Contract 8cp
Spring semester
STM90401  
      70311 Law of Torts 8cp
      70616 Federal Constitutional Law 8cp
Select one subject from the following in CBK90016: 8cp
50138 Community, Culture and the Social8cp 
50139 Political Theory8cp 
50140 Comparative Social Change8cp 
50141 Australian History and Politics8cp 
50142 Social Theory8cp 
Year 3
Autumn semester
STM90382  
      Select one of the following: 8cp
            50142 Social Theory8cp 
            50139 Political Theory8cp 
STM90401  
      70317 Real Property 8cp
      70318 Personal Property 4cp
Select 6 credit points of options 6cp
Spring semester
STM90401  
      70417 Corporate Law 8cp
      70617 Administrative Law 8cp
Select one subject from the following in CBK90030: 8cp
50165 Research Methods 28cp 
50166 Public History8cp 
50300 Communicating the Social8cp 
Year 4
Autumn semester
STM90401  
      70516 Equity and Trusts 8cp
      71005 Practice and Procedure 4cp
Select one subject from the following in CBK90017: 8cp
50183 Inequality and Power8cp 
50184 Globalisation: Division and Change8cp 
50186 Utopias and Dystopias8cp 
50187 Comparative Belief Systems8cp 
50484 The New World Politics8cp 
50485 Gender, Culture and Power8cp 
Select 6 credit points of options 6cp
Spring semester
STM90401  
      71116 Remedies 6cp
      71216 Law of Evidence 6cp
Select one subject from the following in CBK90033: 8cp
50222 Applied Research Project8cp 
50260 Parliamentary Placement8cp 
50217 Professional Placement8cp 
Select 6 credit points of options 6cp
Year 5
Autumn semester
CBK90315 Electives (Social Inquiry) 8cp
Select one subject from the following in CBK90032: 8cp
50163 Intercultural Interventions8cp 
50220 Advocacy and Policy8cp 
50653 New Media and Social Change8cp 
Select 6 credit points of options 6cp
Spring semester
STM90102  
      75401 Litigation 6cp
      75402 Property Transactions 6cp
      75403 Commercial and Estate Practice 6cp
      75415 Professional Conduct 1 3cp
      75416 Professional Conduct 2 3cp

Levels of award

The Bachelor of Laws may be awarded with First or Second Class Honours, which does not require an additional Honours year. Honours candidates must complete the Research Thesis within the law option component. The rules concerning the Bachelor of Laws with Honours can be found in Undergraduate course information.

Professional recognition

Supreme Court of NSW

This course satisfies the requirements for admission as a legal practitioner, provided students undertake the optional Practical Legal Training in the final semester.

Other information

Further information on the Law component is available from the Law Information Office on:

Further information on the Arts component is available from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences on:

telephone +61 2 9514 2300
email hss.studentcentre@uts.edu.au