Students are required to attend two 2-hour seminars each week for the duration of this unit. Each student will be allocated a particular seminar group and will be required to remain in that same group throughout the semester.

Interim Assignment: Students are required to submit a 2000 word response to a research question. The question will be released at 9am Monday 1 August. The due date for submissions is Monday 5 September 2022 at 4pm.  

Class participation: Students will be placed ‘on call’ for either one or two classes, depending on their lecturer’s preference. When ‘on call’, students must be ready to answer lecturers’ questions, being rewarded for oral contributions that demonstrate students have read the required material and reflected on the issues raised. At the end of semester, students will be asked to evaluate, in writing, their contribution to class discussions, indicating what mark they feel they deserve for class participation, and to provide reasons why such a mark is justified. ​

Final Short-Release Assignment: A take-home Final Assignment will be released on Friday 4 November at 4pm and will be due on Sunday 13 November at 4pm. The assignment will comprise a compulsory problem question with a 2000 word maximum word limit (excluding references). The examination may cover any material addressed in the course. 

Students must retain drafts of their Interim and Final assignments for educational integrity purposes.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

A student must make a genuine attempt at all 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

Teaching and Learning Strategy in Criminal Law

Criminal Law is taught in small groups. This provides the opportunity for class discussion and engagement. This is a core component of the learning strategy. You will be expected to do the required readings before class, and to generate your own notes. This means that you will need to prepare before class and to participate in class discussions.

The Reading Guide includes questions and problems that are relevant to the various topics that we consider. You are encouraged to draft written answers to these questions and problems as part of your own preparation both for class and the final exam. Each week, one question has been starred. depending on your lecturer’s approach, this question might provide a basis for class discussion.

Additional Information on Class Participation

Criteria for Assessment of Class Participation

The criteria are very similar to those that are applied when assessing students’ written work. We will reward lucid, thoughtful contributions, which demonstrate that the relevant student understands and has reflected upon the compulsory reading material for the unit of study.

Students will be assessed on the quality rather than the quantity of their contributions. Nevertheless, it is difficult to award high marks to students who are absent or who regularly fail to participate in seminar discussions.

The following provides some indication of the type of performance in class that is associated with particular marks out of ten for class participation.

0 – 2       Unacceptable level of absence from seminars. Participation virtually non-existent. Little, if any, preparation. Obvious lack of commitment to the Unit. 

2.5 – 5    Irregular attendance without explanation. Inconsistent preparation. Evidence of a poor understanding of the material covered in the seminars.

5.5 – 7    Regular attendance, with reasonable level of preparation. Participates in seminar discussions, but sometimes exhibits some lack of comprehension of the topic. Adequate participation in seminar exercises.

7.5 – 8    Regular attendance and preparation. Demonstrates a reasonable comprehension of topics under consideration.

8.5 –10   Regular attendance. High quality participation based upon thorough preparation. Demonstrates an excellent comprehension of topics under consideration. Evidence of a critical and/or original approach to such topics.