Australian Criminal Codes

Course aim

The aim of this course is to develop a sophisticated level of understanding of the legal dimension of criminal codification, Australian Criminal Codes and the Commonwealth Criminal Code.

Course content

This course will explore the shape of things to come in the development of criminal law. The focus is on codification. The Commonwealth government has codified federal criminal law, displacing common law offences and common law principles of criminal responsibility. It is the fastest growing area of criminal jurisdiction in Australia with subject matter ranging from terrorism to internet crime, to sexual slavery. Federal criminal law is remarkable (among other reasons) for its concentration on issues of morality – sexual exploitation, pornography, recreational drug use and self destruction. The course offers the opportunity to explore the legislative process (encoding laws) and the judicial process (decoding or interpreting laws) in contexts of challenging and unprecedented application.

Textbook(s)

Odgers S 2010, Principles of Federal Criminal Law, 2nd edn, Law Book Co, Prymont NSW

Prerequisite(s)

Common to all relevant programs
Subject Area & Catalogue Number	Course Name
LAWS 2009	Criminal Procedure and Sentencing
LAWS 2010	Fundamentals of Criminal Law

Corequisite(s)

Nil

Teaching method

Component	Duration
INTERNAL, CITY WEST
Seminar	4 hours x 10 weeks

Note: These components may or may not be scheduled in every study period. Please refer to the timetable for further details.

Assessment

Codification Assignment, Research Essay on an approved topic, OR take home exam

Fees

EFTSL*: 0.125
Commonwealth Supported program (Band 4C)
To determine the fee for this course as part of a Commonwealth Supported program, go to:
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Fee-paying program for domestic and international students
International students and students undertaking this course as part of a postgraduate fee paying program must refer to the relevant program home page to determine the cost for undertaking this course.

Non-award enrolment
Non-award tuition fees are set by the university. To determine the cost of this course, go to:
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Not all courses are available on all of the above bases, and students must check to ensure that they are permitted to enrol in a particular course.

* Equivalent Full Time Study Load. Please note: all EFTSL values are published and calculated at ten decimal places. Values are displayed to three decimal places for ease of interpretation.