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Unit of study_
LAWS6862: Hate Crime
2025 unit information
Hate crime has emerged as a global problem in the last few decades. Yet the concept itself is controversial. This unit aims to trace the development of the socio-legal concept of hate crime, causal explanations for hate crime and the different ways in which it is regulated. The unit will examine some the major forms of hate crime, including racist, ethno-religious and homophobic violence, with a focus on contemporary debates, such as: is violence against women a form of hate crime; should paedophiles be a protected category; should hate crimes attract higher punishment than other crimes? The unit will critically assess the international geography of hate crime law, making comparisons between Australia, the UK and the US. The unit will seek to provoke debate about how we should define and combat the problem of hate crime. Refer to the Sydney Law School timetable - https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/4533/pages/postgraduate-lecture-timetable
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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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Context and Concepts: Critically analyse the historical, social, political and legal contexts contributing to the development of the concept of hate crime.
- LO2. Nature of the Issue: Identify the characteristics and prevalence of hate crime in Australia.
- LO3. Legal Responses: Knowledge of, and ability to critically evaluate, the concept of hate crime, its interaction with the criminal justice system, and the various legal frameworks through which it may be regulated, policed and punished.
- LO4. Independent analysis: Apply scholarly skills of independent analysis through the examination of the above knowledge to a contemporary issue in hate crime.
- LO5. Written Communication: Develop sound, logically structured criminological arguments and be able to communicate these to diverse audiences.
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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Intensive October - November 2025
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Block mode | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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