Outline

Overview

This unit enables students to work in a public interest or public sector organisation which undertakes legal service delivery, advocacy or policy research. Through practical experience in the workplace students will gain a deeper understanding of an area of substantive law, an awareness of the interplay between law and policy, and an enhanced appreciation of legal ethical issues. Under supervision and with support, students will develop legal practice skills including communication and collaboration, will improve their capacity for reflective practice, and will; gain new personal insights into their personal and professional direction and development.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Law
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Ben Mostyn, benjamin.mostyn@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Participation	Class Participation (10%) Students should demonstrate engagement with readings and discussions.	10%	Ongoing	Each class
Outcomes assessed:
Placement	Internship placement (pass/fail) Pass / fail	0%	Ongoing	One day a week for 12 weeks
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Reflection Note (15%) Students will provide reflection notes on their internships.	15%	Week 12 Due date: 15 May 2023 at 16:00 Closing date: 05 Jun 2023	1000 words / 12 weeks
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Presentation (15%) Presentation on students internship experience.	15%	Week 13 Due date: 26 May 2023 at 16:00 Closing date: 09 Jun 2023	15 minute presentation
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Research Report (60%) Research essay on agreed topic of choice.	60%	Week 13 Due date: 22 May 2023 at 16:00 Closing date: 05 Jun 2023	3500 words / 12 weeks
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Class participation (10%)

Class participation will be unstructured. Students will be expected to participate and contribute in each class. Students should demonstrate engagement with readings and discussions by coming to class prepared, having read the assigned readings and reflected on the issues raised. In particular, students should consider their professional responsibilities in their internship placements and how their Law studies have prepared them for a professional placement. Students will be given the opportunity to demonstrate this in class discussions and group work.

Presentation (15%)

Presentations will be held in class on the Friday of Week 13. Students will attend class and present on a topic relating to their internship. Presentations will be approximately 10 – 15 minutes long and students can use resources such as PowerPoint, Kahoot, and Canvas. Alternatively, students can simply talk to the class without visual aids. Students will be able to discuss their topic with the convenor during semester.

Reflection Note (15%)

Students will be required to prepare a reflective piece relating to their experience during the course, both in class and on placement.

Research Essay (60%)

The research essay is an opportunity for you to demonstrate the depth of your understanding of issues that have been raised in the unit, and to draw together theory and practice in relation to the ‘public interest’ sector. It will require you to undertake research in respect of your chosen topic, and enable you to develop your legal scholarship skills in critical analysis, constructing reasoned arguments, and correctly referencing your research. Your topic must focus on an aspect or aspects of public interest professional practice and draw together the theoretical and the practical. That is, you must draw on theoretical literature, and analyse or assess it by reference to practical examples from your internship experience. The maximum word limit is 3500 words. The word count does not include citations in footnotes but does include substantive footnotes. The research essay is due at 4pm on 22 May 2023 Sydney (Australia Time). Further details will be released on Canvas.

Internship Placement (pass/fail): In addition to the weighted assessment tasks, students will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis on their internship placement. Students will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis by the unit coordinator in conjunction with the internship supervisor. As would be the case in a workplace environment, students will be expected to attend all days of placement unless they have a valid, documented reason for not doing so. They will also be expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner in respect of matters such as punctuality, presentation, productivity, and collegiality. Subject to any policies or procedures of placement sites, students at risk of failing to meet placement requirements will be given the opportunity to improve their performance before a fail grade is awarded.

The internship placement is an integral component of this unit. Students who do not meet the minimum 70 hours will fail the course. Student circumstances and placement supervisor reports will be considered before a decision is made on this basis.

Word Limit Penalty: A piece of assessment which exceeds the prescribed word limit will attract a penalty of 10% of the total marks available for the piece of assessment for every 100 words, or part thereof.

Use of editors and proof-readers: The use of assistance in preparing and editing assessment tasks in this unit of study is strictly prohibited. Assistance includes human and automated writing tools (not including spell checking).

Special Consideration: The outcome of a grant of special consideration application may include an alternative task, at the discretion of the Unit Coordinator.

Assessment requirement to pass a unit of study: 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.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Completely answers the question. Contains striking originality of approach or analysis. Demonstrates exhaustive or innovative research (where independent research required). Exceptionally well written, structured and expressed. Is otherwise exceptional in some way.
Distinction	75 - 84	Completely answers the question. Achieves a critical and evaluative approach to the issues. Content and structure is well organised in support of the argument. Demonstrates extensive research and analysis to support a well-documented argument. Generally well expressed and free from errors. Has a clear structure and is well articulated.
Credit	65 - 74	Covers main issues fairly well in answering the question. Contains no significant errors. Demonstrates an attempted critical approach to the issues. Demonstrates reasonably sound research and analysis in addressing the key issues. Has a clear structure and reasonably clear expression.
Pass	50 - 64	Identifies the key issues, but does not follow through with a reasoned argument. Contains some significant errors. Displays satisfactory engagement with the key issues. Offers a descriptive summary of material relevant to the question. Superficial use of material, and may display a tendency to paraphrase. Demonstrates little evidence of in-depth research or analysis. Adequate expression. Overall, demonstrates the minimum level of competence in the assessment and satisfies the requirements to proceed to higher-level studies in the degree or subject area.
Fail	0 - 49	Does not answer the question. Contains significant or numerous errors. Few or no identifiable arguments. Content that is inappropriate or irrelevant. Lack of research or analysis. Difficult or impossible to understand through poor grammar, expression or structure. Overall, does not demonstrate the minimum level of competence in the assessment.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

The late submission of a piece of assessment, which has not been granted an extension, will attract a penalty of 10% of the total marks available for the piece of assessment per 24 hours or part thereof, after the due time on the due date. For example, a submission after 4.00pm but before the same time the following day will attract a 10% penalty. Late penalties will be strictly applied. The date and time of submission as recorded by Canvas is taken as the official and final record of a student’s submission.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week -01	Introduction; what is the public interest; ethical practice.	Seminar (4 hr)
	Social change and law reform; governance and management; communication skills.	Seminar (4 hr)
	Student well-being; supervision and mentoring; critical reflection in practice; professional career path options.	Seminar (4 hr)
Week 13	Student Presentations.	Seminar (6 hr)
Weekly	Students are required to attend the assigned placement site one day a week for 12 weeks.	Placement (84 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: All students are required to attend 80% of classes to satisfy the pass requirements for each unit of study. Failure to meet this requirement may result in a student being precluded from sitting the final assessment.

Referencing: In submitted work, the Sydney Law School expects you to use the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (4th edition, 2018) for your footnoting style. A link to the library website where this is set out comprehensively is available at https://libguides.library.usyd.edu.au/c.php?g=508212&p=3476376

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Evaluate your experience of practice-related dimensions of an area of substantive law;
LO2. Identify and assess legal ethical issues in a professional setting;
LO3. Identify necessary skills for successful professional practice;
LO4. Demonstrate skills in practical and class-based communication and collaboration;
LO5. Reflect on the challenges and rewards of public interest professional practice.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This is a new unit of study.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

LAWS5225: Legal Internship

Semester 1, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect