Course overview
This course aims to introduce and deepen students’ knowledge of the Commonwealth and South Australian constitutions, and the historical factors and legal principles underpinning them. Students will engage in a variety of learning activities aimed at applying constitutional law principles to contemporary legal challenges, including the constitutional recognition of Aboriginal people and their culture and systems of law, the separation of powers and interactions between the states and between the states and the commonwealth. The content and assessment activities of the course will respond in ‘real time’ to relevant issues arising in Australian courts and legislatures. It is a compulsory course designed to meet the accreditation requirements for Constitutional Law. It will meet accreditation requirements and prepare students to act in the original jurisdiction of the High Court of Australia, litigating cases at the cutting edge of issues at the intersection of law and politics in modern Australia.
Course learning outcomes
- Critique High Court constitutional law decisions in the context of theories of constitutional interpretation and the development of constitutional law.
- Apply principles of constitutional law in both the Commonwealth and South Australian systems, using legal reasoning to solve complex problems.
- Articulate constitutional law principles and create legal argument in both written and oral forms, reflecting professional legal standards and effective communication techniques
- Evaluate the interaction between constitutional law principles and the historical and social contexts in which those principles develop, including the implications for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.