Case Presentation (20%): The class presentation component will consist of a 20 minute class presentation based on a case. Presentations will occur during class at the time allocated to the case in the reading guide.

Alternative Case Presentation (video to be uploaded on Canvas) (20%): Students may opt to record an MP4 presentation and load it onto Canvas.

Case law presentations should address the following: the facts of the case/policy background, the legal issue or issues, the ethical principles, the reasoning employed by the judges/tribunals members in reaching their decision, the decision; and some commentary about the broader implications of the decision (including whether the case was, in your view, correctly decided and what happened afterwards). Candidates will need to argue for or against a particular interpretation (of the facts or the law) to support their tentative conclusions. Presenters can choose how they wish to present the case but most students use powerpoint or presi style presentations or handouts. 

The cases for presentation exercises can be found under each topic in the unit outline, and you can also view the entire list of exercises (along with the Sign-up Sheet) on Canvas.  You will need to consult the Reading Guide to make your choice and reserve your choice of exercise (ie in-class or recorded) via the separate sign-up sheet.  

This assessment is optional and you can choose not to do a presentation and focus 100% on the short release assessment.

Instructions on how to record your presentation (should you choose to do so)

1. Students must record their presentation in Microsoft Powerpoint. PowerPoint provides us with the ability to record audio as you were going through the slides in class. Students can get access and download Microsoft Office (including Powerpoint) for free here: https://www.sydney.edu.au/students/student-it/apps.html

Please note that you may need to update your version of Powerpoint to the one the University is using for this to work.

2. Create your slides for the case presentations dealing with the issues outline above. Once you have finalised your slides you can then record audio under the Slide Show tab: “Record Slide Show”. What’s good about this is you can record per slide, and so edit parts of the presentation if there’s a slide you don’t like or want to change.

3. Once you’ve saved your .ppt with audio, you’ll need to convert it to a video file.  In PowerPoint you can convert your .ppt to video this by selecting the File tab, and then selecting “Export”. Then click on “Create a Video”. To get a manageably sized file, you’ll want to select “Standard (480p)”

Below the video settings, you'll see another that should be pre-set to “Use Recorded Timings and Narrations”. Keep that selected so that you preserve your audio with the slides. Then just click “Create Video”. It will take a little while to finish exporting (You’ll see a bar down the bottom of the screen showing its progress), but once it’s done you’ll have a video file ready to be uploaded to Canvas

4. We will create a place on Canvas for you to upload your presentation. Cameron will then make them available to the rest of the class. Please submit it through Canvas but if you are having difficulties please email the video to Cameron at cameron.stewart@sydney.edu.au

The last day for uploading the presentation is at 11:59pm (Sydney, Australia time) on  20 May 2024.

Assignment (short-release) (80% or 100%): The short release assignment can be accessed on the Canvas site and consists of a problem question and a discussion question at or around 8:00am (Sydney, Australia time) on 24 May 2024 and must be submitted to Canvas by 8:00am (Sydney, Australia time) on 27 May 2024.  The assignment will comprise 80% (for those who do the optional class presentation or the optional recorded presentation) or 100% of the available marks for the unit and should not exceed 7000wds (including references). The assignment will consist of 2 questions which may be problem-based or discussion style questions. The questions will be based on issues raised by the materials. The assignment should be referenced using the footnotes in the Australian Guide to Legal Citation Style. 

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. The total word count for essay and other written assessments will include all referencing.

Use of editors or 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). The use of Studiosity does not breach this rule but must be acknowledged. 

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

Assessment requirements 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.