A research paper may be taken as part of a Bachelor of Laws (Honours). The course is worth 12 units and involves the completion of an 11,000-13,000 word research thesis that will take the place of two standard electives in the LLB (Hons) program. Students will organise supervisors according to the published supervised allocation process that is required in the semester before the commencement of the Supervised Research Paper.
The research project is designed to build upon previous foundational and elective courses and allow students to develop cutting-edge legal research under the supervision of a member of staff.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Undertake a focused but systematic study of a legal issue of the student’s own choosing,
- Present the results of that study in a written form which is accessible to an interested, but not necessarily informed, legal reader,
- Demonstrate critical thinking skills enabling review, analysis, consolidation and synthesis of knowledge to propose a somewhat original solution to a complex legal problem,
- Demonstrate legal project management skills,
- Research with some degree of independence within a supervisory relationship,
- Develop their understanding of legal research methodology and its limits, and
- Demonstrate an advanced understanding of relevant legal theory and legal doctrine.
Other Information
Permission is required to enrol in this course. This course must be taken in a student's ultimate or penultimate semester of study. To be eligible to enrol in this course, a student must have an average mark of 70% or more achieved in ALL law courses completed at ANU. The sub-dean may exercise discretion on the entry requirement for transferring students (ie those that transferred from the LLB program to the current LLBHons program).
Students will need to start the process to be allocated a supervisor at the beginning of the semester before enrolling in the course.
Enrolment is limited with selection based on a competitive process. Application information can be located on the ANU College of Law Website.
Indicative Assessment
- Students will produce a 13000 word paper under supervision and that will be worth 100% of the course grade (12 units of LAWS elective courses). (100) [LO null]
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
- Classes offered in non-standard sessions will be taught on an intensive base with compulsory contact hours (approximately 36 hours of face to face teaching). The course will also require advanced preparation through assigned readings. In total, it is anticipated that the hours required for completion of this course (class preparation, teaching and completion of assessment) will not exceed 120 hours.
- Classes offered during semester periods are expected to have three contact hours per week. Students are generally expected to devote at least 10 hours overall per week to this course.
Click here for the LLB Program course list
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Requisite and Incompatibility
You will need to contact the ANU Law School to request a permission code to enrol in this course.
Prescribed Texts
Students must rely on the approved Class Summary which will be posted to the Programs and Courses site approximately two weeks prior to the commencement of the course. Alternatively, this information will be published in the Program course list when known.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you 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). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 34
- Unit value:
- 12 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 12.00 | 0.25000 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2023 | $9720 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2023 | $11640 |
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.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4145 | 20 Feb 2023 | 27 Feb 2023 | 31 Mar 2023 | 26 May 2023 | Online or In Person | View |
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7166 | 24 Jul 2023 | 31 Jul 2023 | 31 Aug 2023 | 27 Oct 2023 | In Person | View |
