The content of this course may vary from year to year.  Please see Other Information below for details of any special courses currently on offer.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Synthesise and apply knowledge and ideas within the chosen special topic
2. Review case law, legislation and scholarly writing as it pertains to the chosen special topic
3. Incorporate social, comparative or interdisciplinary approaches into legal analysis of the special topic
4. Research and synthesise legal materials and other relevant sources to present a cohesive argument that addresses a legal question arising from the special topic
5. Make original and reflective contributions to debates on theoretical, policy and practical issues relating to the special topic

Research-Led Teaching

Jason Grant Allen is an internationally recognised expert on law and emerging technologies. He has authored and contributed to numerous reports on blockchain and digital assets with the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance and the Asian Business Law Institute, and has provided thought leadership for bodies including the European Parliament, the IMF, UNCITRAL, UNIDROIT, the Australian Government Solicitor, major North Atlantic central banks, and a national stock exchange in SE Asia. His work has been published in leading journals including the Modern Law Review and specialist journals such as the Stanford Journal of Blockchain Law & Policy as well as leading handbooks and anthologies. His recent volume (co-edited with Peter Hunn) on "smart legal contracts" was published by the Oxford University Press. Other books include Non-Statutory Executive Powers and Judicial Review (Cambridge University Press 2022), the English translation of Christian von Bar, Foundations of Property Law: Things as Objects of Property Rights (Oxford University Press forthcoming 2023), and an anthology (edited with Gerhard Dannemann) on the monetary lawyer F.A. Mann (Oxford University Press, forthcoming 2024). He is currently working on a monograph on money, an edited volume on business law in the Metaverse (with Nydia Remolina) and has been commissioned to edit a research handbook on cryptoassets and decentralised finance (all details TBA). and Jason is an Associate Professor of Law at the SMU Yong Pung How School of Law and a Research Affiliate at the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, where he co-chairs a working group on Emergent Money Systems under the Cambridge Digital Assets Project. Students will engage in research on cutting-edge topics throughout the course, particularly around property law theory and regulatory theory.

Field Trips

N/A

Additional Course Costs

N/A

Required Resources

A reading list will be provided through the Wattle site with links to most materials.

Recommended Resources

Whether you are on campus or studying remotely, there are a variety of online platforms you will use to participate in your study program. These could include videos for lectures and other instruction, two-way video conferencing for interactive learning, email and other messaging tools for communication, interactive web apps for formative and collaborative activities, print and/or photo/scan for handwritten work and drawings, and home-based assessment.

ANU outlines recommended student system requirements to ensure you are able to participate fully in your learning. Other information is also available about the various Learning Platforms you may use.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Other Information

Task submission times refer to Canberra time (AEST/AEDT).

Extensions, late submission and penalties: https://law.anu.edu.au/current-students/policies-procedures/extensions-late-submission-and-penalties

Deferred examination: http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/deferred-examinations

Special consideration: http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/special-assessment-consideration

Penalties for excess word length: https://law.anu.edu.au/current-students/policies-procedures/word-length-and-excess-word-penalties

Distribution of Grades Policy: https://law.anu.edu.au/current-students/policies-procedures/grading

Further information about the course: is available from the course Wattle page. Students are required to access the Wattle site regularly throughout the course for any announcements relating to the course.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	This is a semi-intensive course that will be delivered every Monday-Wednesday, between the hours of 13:00 to 16:00 from 5 to 21 December 2022. Please see the schedule below, as the timing for individual live sessions may vary from day to day. Monday 5 December, 13:00 to 15:00 Topic: Introduction and Welcome Live session only; no pre-recorded lectures. Law Guest Speaker: Guang-Yi Yee (Ethereum Foundation, Singapore) Students will be invited to introduce themselves to the group in the live session. Asynchronous activities include liaising with the group for Assessment Task 1 and creating an avatar for the Student Discussion Forum.	In this session, you will be allocated to a group and you should start to prepare for Assessment Task 1 (Crypto Asset Mapping Group Exercise), which will be based on your group work. In particular, begin to discuss your table of cryptoassets for the Live Session in Module 4.
2	Tuesday 6 December Topic: The Fundamentals of Blockchain Live Session 13:00 to 15:00 including a live lecture and group discussion of the Open Letter by "concerned.tech". 0.5 hours of pre-recorded guest lecture by Keith Bear (Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance) Asynchronous activities include making a hash using SHA256, minting an NFT on OpenSea.com, and posting thoughts about the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index on the Student Discussion Forum.
3	Wednesday 7 December Topic: “Crypto”, Cyberspace, and Jurisdiction Live Session 13:00 to 15:30, including a guest lecture by Guang-Yi Yee (Ethereum Foundation, Singapore). 0.5 hours of pre-recorded guest lecture by Harry Cheng (Hague Conference Permanent Bureau) Asynchronous activities include posting your views on the "space" metaphor in "cyberspace" on the Student Discussion Forum.
4	Monday 12 December Topic: Approaching Cryptoassets: Definitions, Categories, Taxonomies Live Session 13:00 to 14:30 including student discussion and presentations to the group. 1 hour of pre-recorded guest lectures by Thomas Nägele (Nägele Rechtsanwälte) and Parma Bains (International Monetary Fund) Prior to the session, students will be required to look at the current Australian Government "token mapping" process and complete some group work to be presented and discussed in the live session.	Cryptoasset Mapping Group Exercise. This group work will form the basis of Assessment Task 1.
5	Tuesday 13 December Topic: Cryptoassets as Property Live Session 13:00 to 14:00 1.5 hours of pre-recorded guest lectures by Vincent Ooi (Singapore Management University, Singapore); Matthew Kimber (Law Commission of England and Wales, UK) and Philipp Maume (Technische Universität München, Germany) Asynchronous activity: evaluating the "law of the horse" critique as it applies to crypotassets in property law, in light of a case note on NZ High Court case Ruscoe v Cryptopia.	Assessment Task 3 will be based substantively on this module. You will be asked to write a law reform submission to a consultation process in a fictional small Pacific island state called Ruritania.
6	Wednesday 14 December Topic: Decentralised Finance: Cryptoassets, Smart Contracts, and Autonomous Organisations Live Session 13:00 to 15:00 including an interactive discussion on the OFAC sanction of the "Tornado Cash" mixer and the "responsible machine problem". 1.5 hours of pre-recorded guest lectures by Shawn Bayern (Florida State University); Nik Yeo (Fountain Court Chambers); Keith Bear (Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance) and Sarah Green (Law Commission of England and Wales)
7	Monday 19 December Topic: Global Perspectives on Cryptoasset Regulation Live Session: 13:00 to 14:30 including short student presentations on self-guided research. 2 hours of pre-recorded guest lectures by Philipp Maume (Technische Universität München); Drew Hinkes (K&L Gates and NYU); Laurence White (Vic Bar); Andrew Godwin (Melbourne Law School) and Seker SB (Crypto.com Singapore)
8	Tuesday 20 December Topic: Cryptoassets Linked to Other Assets: NFTs and Stablecoins Live session 13:00 to 15:00 including a live guest lecture by Andrea Tosato (University of Nottingham and University of Pennsylvania) with Q&A Pre-recorded guest lecture by Parma Bains (International Monetary Fund) Asynchronous activity: reflect on the readings in the Student Discussion Forum.
9	Wednesday 21 December Topic: “Enter the Metaverse” Live Session 13:00 to 15:00 including guest lecture by Chee Kin Lam (DBS) and interactive discussion of "value plumbing" in the Metaverse. No pre-recorded lectures. Asynchronous activities: creating a "mindmap" of value in the Metaverse and sharing thoughts on the Metaverse concept in the Student Discussion Forum.

Tutorial Registration

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.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Cryptoasset Mapping Group Exercise	20 %	19/12/2022	20/01/2023	1,3
Cryptoasset Quiz	20 %	05/01/2023	20/01/2023	1
Law Reform Submission	60 %	06/02/2023	01/03/2023	1,2,3,4,5

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Guideline and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using 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. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

For all courses taught in any mode (whether face to face or online), the ANU College of Law considers participation in the classes offered to be an important part of the educational experience of the program. Students are expected to attend all classes.

If circumstances arise which are beyond a student’s control and they are unable to attend a class, the student should contact the Course Convenor in advance (where possible), so that the convenor can adjust their expectations in relation to numbers for that class. If it is not possible to give advance notice, students should send the convenor an email as soon as possible with evidence to support the reason for failure to attend. 

Assessment Task 1

Cryptoasset Mapping Group Exercise

Details of Task: Students will be allocated into groups of two or three to sketch out the most important characteristics of 10 cryptoassets (of their choice). Students are required to create a 'token mapping" table with their group including the characteristics thought to be most important to the legal categorisation of the assets chosen. This will then be discussed in class. Based on this group exercise, students are required to submit an individual submission for assessment. This submission will cover:

• An explanation of why the group selected these 10 cryptoassets for inclusion. (500 words)
• Demonstration of why “token mapping” is a worthwhile exercise–or not. (500 words)
• Reflection on the group exercise: Did your view on any one of the characterisation of the tokens change? If so, what changed and why? (200 words)

Nature of Task: Compulsory and non-redeemable. Failure to complete will result in a mark of zero for this task.

Weighting: 20%

Release: Monday 12 December 2022

Word limit: 1,200 words. Footnotes should be used for referencing of sources. All references should be in the style required by the current edition of the Australian Guide to Legal Citation.Your submission must be made in a word processing file format (.doc, .docx). PDF files will not be accepted.The ANU College of Law's Word Length and Excess Word penalties policy can be found here.

Due Date: 5pm, Monday 19 December 2022. Late submissions (without an extension) are permitted, but late penalties will apply. 

Estimated return date: COB Friday 20 January 2023

Assessment criteria: Assessment rubric available on Wattle

Assessment Task 2

Cryptoasset Quiz

Details of Task: This quiz covers the breadth of the course and requires you to answer a number of multiple choice questions.

Nature of Task: Compulsory and non-redeemable. Failure to complete will result in a mark of zero for this task.

Weighting: 20%

Release: 1pm Thursday 5 January 2023 via WATTLE

Duration: 1 hour

Due Date: 2pm Thursday 5 January 2023 via WATTLE. If you experience extenuating circumstances and cannot attempt the assessment on the due date and time, you should apply for an extension here. The College will give you one final opportunity to complete the assessment, at the same time one week later. If you have accessed the assessment, you will not be approved an extension and will need to complete the task by the due date. However you can apply for special consideration for your circumstances to be considered.

Estimated return date: COB Friday 20 January 2023

Assessment Task 3

Law Reform Submission

Details of Task: To engage with a fundamental private law question applicable to cryptoassets: their treatment as objects of property rights in the common law.

Nature of Task: Compulsory and non-redeemable. Failure to complete will result in a mark of zero for this task.

Weighting: 60%

Release: 13 December 2022

Word limit: 3,600 words. Footnotes should be used for referencing of sources. All references should be in the style required by the current edition of the Australian Guide to Legal Citation.Your submission must be made in a word processing file format (.doc, .docx). PDF files will not be accepted.The ANU College of Law's Word Length and Excess Word penalties policy can be found here .

Due Date: 5pm, Monday 6 February 2023. Late submissions (without an extension) are permitted, but late penalties will apply. 

Estimated return date: 1 March 2023

Other requirements: 

• Numbered paragraphs
• Two levels of headings; level 1 in bold and level 2 in italics.

Assessment criteria: Assessment rubric available on Wattle

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin in a word processing file format (.doc, .docx). Electronic copies in .pdf file format are not acceptable.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.
• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item.
• Late submission is not accepted for tests or examinations.
• Late submission with an extension. To ensure equity for all students, the 5% penalty per working day for late submission of work does not apply if you have been granted an extension. Where an extension is granted, the revised due date and submission time will be provided in writing. Importantly, any revised due date is inclusive of weekends and public holidays. Regardless of which day of the week the revised due date falls on, students who submit after that date will be penalised by 5% of the possible marks available for the task per 24-hour period.  

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material.

Returning Assignments

All marks and feedback will be provided online by the return date listed in the class summary. 

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Access and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students