Interested in social justice and ways law and lawyering are involved? Come and explore ways of lawyering or working with lawyers to advance prospects for reform, justice and inclusion locally, nationally and internationally.
The lens of law and organising, case studies and problem-based work will encourage you to differentiate, assess and conceptualise approaches to reform.
Students will gain a deeper understanding of how conceptualisations of law and of problems relate to possibilities for progressive and sustainable change. Students will also develop proficiency in respect to aspects such as: how ‘repertoires of contention’ are managed, governed and regulated; challenges and opportunities arising from diverse and conflicting interests; ethical and professional conduct issues; and, pitfalls such as reductionism, unaccountability and unintended consequences.
Practicing and non-practicing lawyers and many others are involved in law and organising for reform. Students will focus on obligations arising from legal professional regulations, identifying and analysing situations in which such obligations apply and responding in full compliance with legal professional regulations. Legal professional issues and a range of other ethical issues will be explored in a Topic during the course and also throughout the course.
Other issues in the course include how ‘law and organising’ relates to concepts such as agency, citizenship, civics, community development, development, political participation, rights, social capital and sustainability.
Also, the relationships between ‘law and organising’ and: cause lawyering; lawyering from within; legal empowerment; change-orientated lawyering; legal mobilisation; public interest lawyering; rebellious lawyering; strategic legal practice; strategic litigation; and, social movements.
Students will assess whether and when ‘law and organising’ is a critical project and how techniques emerge, are practiced and change.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Demonstrate, through critical analysis, in written and/or oral form, an advanced and integrated understanding of a complex body of knowledge in the area of law and organising for reform;
- Research, critically analyse and reflect on complex information, problems, concepts and theories in relation to the possibilities and effects of law and organising for reform in different contexts;
- Interpret, conceptualise and articulate for specialist and non-specialist audiences, stakeholder problems and positions relevant to law and organising for reform;
- Expertly and creatively develop effective options in law and organising for reform applied to particular problems which encompasses legalities, practicalities, risks and alternatives;
- Demonstrate and apply advanced knowledge and skills autonomously and ethically, displaying expert judgment, adaptability, responsibility and self-critique as a learner and practitioner in relation to problems in law and organising for reform;
- Plan and complete a substantial research project demonstrating expert critical and reflective engagement with concepts in law and organising for reform, problem analysis, legal research, legal principles and legal writing.
Other Information
This is a wholly online course. It will require continuous online participation as students will be required to participate in discussion forums and other activities in order to satisfy course requirements.
Where required, students will be expected to participate online in Live Classrooms on Adobe Connect.
Indicative Assessment
- Forum posts (40) [LO 1,2,3,4,5,6]
- Class presentation (online) (20) [LO 1,2,3,4,5,6]
- Research essay or an advice or submission (40) [LO 1,2,3,4,5,6]
In response to COVID-19: Please note that Semester 2 Class Summary information (available under the classes tab) is as up to date as possible. Changes to Class Summaries not captured by this publication will be available to enrolled students via Wattle.
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
10-12 hours per week for 12 weeks.
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
White, Lucie and Jeremy Perelman (eds), Stones of Hope: How African Activists Reclaim Human Rights to Challenge Global Poverty (Stanford University Press, 2011) (e-book or hard copy)
Orwell, George, Animal Farm: A Fairy Story (first Mariner edition) (Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt, 2009) (hard copy or e-book).
Preliminary Reading
Indicative list of other readings, materials and resources.
The course involves engagement with a broad mix of material. Course materials include articles, book excerpts, reports, videos, news sources, websites, legislation, cases and legal commentary. The following introduce many of the themes in law and organising:
- Cummings, Scott L. and Ingrid V. Eagly, 'A Critical Reflection on Law and Organizing' (2000-2001) 48 UCLA Law Review 443
- Price, Loretta and Melinda Davis, 'Seeds of Change: A Bibliographic Introduction to Law and Organizing ' (2002) 26(4) Review of Law and Social Change 615
- Hung, Betty, 'Law and Organizing from the Perspective of Organizers: Finding a Shared Theory of Social Change ' (2009) 1(4-30) Los Angeles Public Interest Law Journal 4
- Capulong, Eduardo R.C., 'Client Activism and Progressive Lawyering Theory' (2009) 16 Clinical Law Review 109
Assumed Knowledge
It will be assumed that students or participants have some knowledge of systems of government, law making and the diverse roles of lawyers. Material will also be available online from the start of the course for those who do not have a relevant background.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 3
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $4320 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $5760 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Summer Session
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1596 | 13 Jan 2020 | 13 Jan 2020 | 31 Jan 2020 | 05 Apr 2020 | Online | View |
Winter Session
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6775 | 07 Sep 2020 | 07 Sep 2020 | 25 Sep 2020 | 29 Nov 2020 | Online | View |
