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Unit of study_
LAWS5019: Ngura and the Foundations of Laws
2025 unit information
This unit introduces students to the historical development and cultural specificity of the core structure, concepts, and principles of the Anglo-Australian legal system, including responsible government and the roles and functions of legal institutions. Students will be introduced to the Aboriginal concept of ngura (country) and its significance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal relations with Anglo-Australian laws and practices in the context of colonisation. Through guided learning activities, students will develop fundamental legal professional competencies, including the ability to find, read, interpret, analyse, and apply case law and statutes to simple legal disputes. Students will also learn how to solve problems and formulate arguments about diverse ideas and perspectives of law and legal practice both independently and collaboratively. High-level English language proficiency demonstrated through oral and written communication skills, is an inherent requirement of the discipline and practice of law and is essential for the satisfactory completion of this unit.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Sydney Law School
| Study level | Postgraduate |
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| Academic unit | Law |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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LAWS5000 |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. understand and critically evaluate the historical development and cultural specificity of the structure, concepts and principles of the Anglo-Australian legal system.
- LO2. find, interpret, analyse, synthesise and apply common law and legislation to solve problems using the principles of legal reasoning and statutory interpretation.
- LO3. understand the Aboriginal concept of Ngura (Country) and critically analyse its significance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal relations with Anglo-Australian laws and practices in the context of colonisation.
- LO4. formulate and defend coherent arguments about diverse ideas and perspectives of law and legal practice both independently and in collaboration with peers, using high-level English language oral and written communication skills.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 1 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown / Darlington, Sydney | |
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Semester 1 2025
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Normal evening | Camperdown / Darlington, Sydney |
There are no availabilities for previous years.
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
