Units

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Sample subject outline - Semester 1 2013

Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.

Rationale

The concepts of property and rules concerning dealings with property underpin a significant number of modern legal transactions in both domestic and commercial contexts. It is therefore essential to understand the nature of property, the similarities and differences between real and personal property and how a modern legal system recognises and protects interests in and dealings with both real and personal property. All law schools and legal profession admission authorities regard an understanding of property law as essential for the practice of law and it is a requirement for admission to the legal profession.

Aims

The aim of the unit is to provide you with an understanding of the legal principles relating to real and personal property and how these rules operate in a modern legal system. The unit also aims to develop the skills, necessary for the practice of law and your further studies of law, in legal problem solving and reasoning and oral and written communication.

Objectives

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
1. Explain the development and the operation of the law of property and how it has evolved in a wider social context in response to social, economic and environmental changes.
2. Analyse problems involving property law issues and apply legal principles to resolve such problems.
3. Independently read genuine legislative provisions in the context of the Act as a whole and correctly apply those provisions to a property law problem scenario.
4. Effectively communicate solutions to legal problems involving real and personal property.
5. Employ legal research skills in order to identify and locate the law relevant to a property law problem.

Content

The material covered in this unit includes:
1. The concept of property and the reasons for its existence
2. Classification of property interests
3. The distinction between real and personal property
4. Ownership, possession and transfer of rights to personal property
5. Agency in the context of the transfer of personal property
6. Interests in personal property
7. An overview of the doctrine of tenure and estates and interests in real property, including indigenous property rights
8. Concurrent interests in land

Graduate Capabilities
Your understanding of the unit content and the further development of these skills will assist you to acquire the following law graduate capabilities:
GC1. Discipline Knowledge
GC2. Problem Solving, Reasoning and Research
GC3. Effective Communication
GC4. Life Long Learning
GC5. Work Independently and Collaboratively

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

This unit is a combination of content and skills that will develop your graduate capabilities. The unit is taught through a combination of face-to-face lectures (to assist with your understanding of property law) and face-to-face tutorials (to develop your understanding of property law and to allow you to practise and develop your communication and legal problem solving skills).

Study Guide
The Study Guide for the unit provides an outline of relevant content, prescribed readings and tutorial exercises for each week of semester.

Lectures
In this unit there is a two hour lecture timetabled for weeks 1-13. The lectures are audio taped and made available through the unit's Blackboard site and are supported by PowerPoint presentations.

Tutorials
One hour tutorials are timetabled for weeks 1 - 13 of the semester.
For external students, tutorial guides will be available each week on the Blackboard site as audio files.

External Attendance School
There is no External Attendance School for this unit

Assessment

In this unit you will be graded on a scale of one to seven.

Overview of Assessment:

Internal Students: Summative assessment includes discussion forum (tutorials), the assignment and the end of semester examination.

External Students: Summative assessment includes the external exercise, the assignment and the end of semester examination.

Faculty Assessment Information
To access the Law Faculty Assessment Information see the Blackboard site for this unit.Feedback on the development of your understanding of the law examined in this unit and the skills taught is provided through:
1. The face-to-face tutorials (internal students);
2. The online tutorial guides (external students);
3. The individual written feedback on your external exercise (external students);
4. The individual written feedback on your assignment;
5. The generic feedback on the assignment placed on the unit's Blackboard site; and
6. The option of private consultation with a member of the teaching team during student consultation.
You should reflect upon the feedback on your assessment in this unit (both your individual and generic feedback as provided on Blackboard) for the purpose of identifying:

• gaps in your knowledge and understanding of the legal principles;


• inadequacies in your problem solving methodology;


• strategies to improve your problem solving, oral and written communication skills in further assessment; and


• areas for improvement for future studies within the LLB.

Assessment name: Discussion Forum (Tutorials)
Description: Internal students will be assessed on their preparation for and participation in and contribution to discussions, analysis, problem solving and skills exercises in tutorials throughout the semester.
Relates to objectives: 1-5
Weight: 10%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Weeks 1-13

Assessment name: External Exercise
Description: This exercise will require you to submit a written answer to a specified real world problem on a topic covered in the unit by this time.
Word limit: 1000 words
Relates to objectives: 1-5
Weight: 10%
Internal or external: External
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Week 6

Assessment name: Assignment
Description: The assignment will require you to research a set question, problem or issue and submit a written answer in the appropriate legal style. The assignment will assess your ability to critically analyse property law concepts, evaluate and apply those concepts to solve a real world problem and use appropriate techniques to communicate the resolution to different audiences.

Word limit: 2500 words
Relates to objectives: 1-5
Weight: 35%
Internal or external: Both
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Week 8

Assessment name: Examination
Description: There will be a compulsory end of semester examination. The examination will be open book.
Relates to objectives: 2-4
Weight: 55%
Internal or external: Both
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Central Exam Period

Academic Honesty

QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.

A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.

Resource materials

Prescribed Materials
MacDonald, McCrimmon, Wallace and Weir, Real Property Law in Queensland ( Lawbook Co, Sydney: 3rd ed, 2010).
R Chambers and C Turner C, Custom Text for Property Law A (Thomson Reuters, Sydney: 2012).

Recommended References
Bradbrook, MacCallum and Moore, Australian Property Law: Cases and Materials (Lawbook, Sydney: 4th ed, 2007).
Peter Butt, Land Law (Lawbook Co, Sydney: 5th ed, 2006).
BJ Edgeworth, CJ Rossiter, MA Stone and PA O'Connor, Sackville and Neave Australian Property Law ( LexisNexis Butterworths, Sydney: 8th ed, 2008).
SJ Traves, Commercial Law (LexisNexis Butterworths, Sydney: 2nd ed, 2009).

Blackboard site
Online resources for this unit are available on the unit blackboard site.

Risk assessment statement

There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit.

Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.

Last modified: 18-Dec-2012