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LAWS11065 - Constitutional Law

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit examines the organisation, source and limits of Commonwealth and State powers, and the relations between the three branches of government at Commonwealth and State levels. It focuses on the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution as the supreme law in Australia under which the Commonwealth of Australia operates and was created, and the power of the States as former colonies was preserved. The unit also examines the fundamental principles of Constitutional Law such as constitutionalism, rule of law, representative democracy, responsible government, parliamentary supremacy, separation of powers, federalism and individual rights and freedoms, and how they guide and control the operation and powers of the executive, legislature, and judiciary. At the end of the unit, you will be able to explain, discuss, and demonstrate the impact of Constitutional Law on, and its practical importance to society.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 1
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 4
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites There are no pre-requisites for the unit.

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 3 - 2017

Term 2 - 2018 Profile
Distance
Term 2 - 2019 Profile
Online
Term 2 - 2020 Profile
Online
Term 2 - 2021 Profile
Online
Term 3 - 2021 Profile
Online
Term 2 - 2022 Profile
Online
Term 2 - 2023 Profile
Online
Term 2 - 2024 Profile
Online

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Online Quiz(zes) 10%
2. Group Work 30%
3. Written Assessment 60%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 2 - 2023 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 73.33% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 22.96% response rate.

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: SUTE data
Feedback
Learning materials can be strengthened to better highlight their utility
Recommendation
Revise learning materials to strengthen their utility and capacity to build knowledge and skills.
Action Taken
Some learning materials were revised and updated, especially to account for the 2023 First Nations Voice referendum, but further work is required.
Source: Student evaluations
Feedback
Learning materials can be strengthened to provide a clearer and more streamlined learning environment
Recommendation
Review and revise learning materials
Action Taken
Nil.
Source: Student evaluations
Feedback
Students valued the tutorial content and tutorial discussions as a mechanism for clarifying and applying their understanding of the learning materials
Recommendation
Maintain and extend tutorial discussions and use of problem-solving exercises in tutorials
Action Taken
Nil.
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Explain and discuss key constitutional law principles such as Australian federalism, the doctrine of separation of powers, constitutionalism, rule of law, parliamentary sovereignty, and responsible and representative government
  2. Research case law and demonstrate critical thinking in applying case law, and key provisions and legal principles of the Australian Commonwealth Constitution, State constitutions, and statutes, to constitutional law issues and problems
  3. Critically examine, evaluate, and explain the theoretical and actual operation and relationship of the Australian legislature, executive, and judiciary, at both federal and state levels
  4. Explain, discuss, and demonstrate the impact of Constitutional Law on, and its practical importance to society.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Online Quiz(zes) • • • •
2 - Group Work • • •
3 - Written Assessment • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Communication • • • •
2 - Problem Solving • • • •
3 - Critical Thinking • • • •
4 - Information Literacy • • •
7 - Cross Cultural Competence • •
8 - Ethical practice •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 - Online Quiz(zes) • • • •
2 - Group Work • • • • •
3 - Written Assessment • • • • • • •