Legal Studies

Course No: 15220

Course Description

“There is a lot of loose talk in Australia about democracy, the rule of law and basic rights. Yet unless we educate future citizens concerning the broad outline of our laws, they may grow up feeling that law is alien to their experience. I want them to grow up insisting that the law must be just and modern and accepting the citizen’s responsibility to ensure that this is so.” – Michael Kirby | Former Justice of the High Court of Australia

Legal Studies presents students with the opportunity to develop an understanding of the implications that legal decisions can have for Australian society and the ways in which the legal system can affect the lives of Australian citizens. The syllabus focuses on the way in which law is generated, how it is structured and how it operates in Australian and international contexts. In Year 11, we cover the nature and functions of law and law-making, debate concepts like ‘justice’ and ‘equality’, we examine our own rights and responsibilities and investigate contemporary issues that illustrate how the law operates in practice. In Year 12, we focus in on crime, human rights and two relevant focus studies. Throughout both courses, students develop a critical understanding of the relationship between law, justice and society, while maturing their analytical thinking and writing skills.

What Students Learn

Preliminary Course (Year 11):

The Legal System: The nature and functions of law.
The Individual and the Law: The way in which the law impacts individuals, with a focus study on technology.
The Law in Practice: Investigation of contemporary issues that illustrate how the law operates in practice.

HSC Course (Year 12):

Crime: Investigation of criminal law, processes and institutions and the tensions between community interests and individual rights and freedoms.
Human Rights: Investigation of the notion of human rights and assessment of the extent to which legal systems embody human rights and promote them in practice.
Two options chosen from the following:
- Consumers
- Global environment and protection
- Family (2022) – Investigation of the legal nature of family relationships and the effectiveness of the law in achieving justice.
- Indigenous peoples
- Shelter
- Workplace
- World order (2022) – Investigation of the effectiveness of legal and non-legal measures in promoting peace and resolving conflict between nation states

What will I learn about?

You won’t come out the other side a lawyer, but you will learn about how a key part of our world (the law) operates to achieve, or fail to achieve, justice. You’ll learn about Australian law, particularly criminal law, government, and contemporary case studies, and about international law, including human rights abuses, cybercrime, and the United Nations.

What will I do in Legal Studies?

You’ll be encouraged to keep up to date with the news and will engage in discussions about big real-life issues. You will learn to think critically and form your own judgments with confidence. You’ll have many opportunities to integrate interest-areas into class activities.

Who should study Legal Studies?

If you want to discover:

Isn’t Russia’s invasion of Ukraine illegal?
What’s the difference between equality and fairness?
Should children go to prison for committing crimes?
Could I just create my own country?
Why should I have to give up my rights?

How is Legal Studies assessed?

Assessment tasks in Legal are closely modelled on the types of skills required for the HSC examination. They include research reports, exams and topic tests.

Student Testimonial

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Important NESA Information

2 units for each of Year 11 and Year 12

Board Developed Course

Exclusions: Nil

Course Description

The Year 11 course develops students' knowledge and understanding of the nature and functions of law and law-making, the development of Australian and international legal systems, the Australian constitution and law reform. It examines an individual's rights and responsibilities, how disputes are resolved and examines a contemporary issue concerning the individual and technology. Students have the opportunity to investigate issues that illustrate how the law operates in practice. This is achieved by investigating, analysing and synthesising legal information and investigating legal issues from a variety of perspectives.

The Year 12 course investigates the key areas of law, justice and human rights through a variety of focus studies which consider how changes in societies influence law reform.

Year 11 Course

Part I – The Legal System (40% of course time)
Part II – The Individual and the Law (30% of course time)
Part III – The Law in Practice (30% of course time)

The Law in Practice unit is designed to provide opportunities for students to deepen their understanding of the principles of law covered in the first sections of the course. This section may be integrated with Part I and Part II.

Year 12 Course

Core Part I: Crime (30% of course time)
Core Part II: Human Rights (20% of course time)
Part III: Two Options (50% of course time)

Two options are chosen from:

Consumers
Family
Global environment and protection
Indigenous peoples
Shelter
Workplace
World order.

Each topic’s themes and challenges should be integrated into the study of topic.

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