Short-Release Case Note Outline (10%): Students must select a decision from a common law court in Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu or Vanuatu, which involves issues of environmental law, climate change, and/or human rights in the Pacific. Students must submit a summary of the case that they have chosen. This should include:

• the name of the case;
• the proper citation;
• the name of the judge;
• the names of counsel;
• a concise summary of the facts of the case;
• a statement of the issues;
• a statement of the outcome.

THE OUTLINE SHOULD NOT INCLUDE THE CRITICAL COMMENTARY, WHICH STUDENTS  SHOULD RESERVE FOR THEIR EXTENDED RESEARCH CASE NOTE.

Due Date: The outline is due (Vanuatu, South Pacific time) on Tuesday 23 July 2024 at 9:00 am. A late submission will not be accepted after 9:00 am on 23 July 2024. Word limit: 800 words (see further below). Submission: This document must be submitted to the Canvas assignment dropbox and should also be emailed directly to the Course Coordinator: jennifer.corrin@sydney.edu.au prior to the class on the morning of 23 July 2024 and two hard copies must be brought to the class.  Students must retain pre-submitted drafts of their assessments on file.

Case Note Oral Presentation (10%) Students will be on call throughout the day on 25 July 2024 to present to the class the facts, issues and outcome of the case that they have chosen to write about for their major assignment. Students will not be required to give the citation, names of the judge, or counsel, as those should be included in the Case Note Outline. STUDENTS WILL NOT BE REQUIRED TO PRESENT THEIR MAIN COMMENTARY ON THE CASE. 

The presentation must be no more than ten minutes long and students should be prepared to answer questions about the facts and law involved in the case they have chosen for up to ten minutes afterwards. Students may use the white board during their presentation, but not PowerPoint or other electronic aids.

Due Date: The due date for the presentation is 25 July 2024. Students are on call to present at any time during the day. Word Limit: Not applicable. Submission:The presentation will be delivered orally, with no written submission required, as explained above. 

Extended Research Case Note (80%): Each student must submit an extended case note based on independent research. Students are required to build on their Outline and in-class presentation. The case must be a decision from a common law court in Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu or Vanuatu, which involves issues of environmental law, climate change, and/or human rights in the Pacific. In the commentary section of the case note students should demonstrate critical engagement with the course topics by discussing some of the issues focussed on in this course. The case must not have been previously published as a case note and students may not write on the same case as another student. Students should call on the skill of case noting which will be discussed during the course.

Due Date: It is due (Sydney, Australia time), on Monday, 26 August 2024 at 4:00 pm. Word Limit: 5,000 words. A bibliography is not required but you must refer to and footnote relevant literature if it is relevant to your commentary.  Submission: Assignments must be submitted to the unit's Canvas assignment dropbox.  Students must retain pre-submitted drafts of their assessments on file.

Word limit penalty
The total word-count for written work excludes the title-page, citations in footnotes, but includes everything else, such as headings, sub-headings, quotations (including epigraphs) and anything other than citations in footnotes. Failure to comply with the word-limit is penalised at a rate of 5% of the total mark for the assignment for every 100 words in excess of the limit. A research essay of 5099 words, for example, is not penalised, but a paper of 5100 words loses four marks. Penalties for excessive length are strictly applied.

Use of editors or proof-readers: In completing unsupervised assessments, students may use editors, proof-readers, and automated writing tools (including translation software, grammar checkers, reference generators and artificial intelligence), provided that all use is acknowledged and consistent with University policies and procedures including Academic Integrity Policy. Acknowledgment must be made in writing on the front of the work submitted for assessment, or in an appropriate footnote or other reference, and state the name of the person or software.  

Special consideration 
Successful grants of Special Consideration may involve alternative tasks, as appropriate. 

Assessment requirement to pass a unit of study 
A student must make a genuine attempt at all compulsory assessment tasks set out in this Unit of Study in order to obtain a Pass mark and grade (or above); otherwise an Absent Fail grade will be recorded as the student’s result for this Unit of Study.