Globalisation and the Law

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2012:

This is a totally online subject delivered via the internet: there is no face-to-face contact between the lecturers and students. Prior to launch, students will be provided with materials on cd-rom and via the online subject page. University of Melbourne students will also be able to acquire Printed Materials from Melbourne Law School. The subject is divided into three parts: an introduction module, a case study section conducted via two or more role-plays, and a wrapping up module. These will be conducted via the internet using various resources, including textual, audio and video material. Students will be expected to read, watch or listen to these materials and to take part in role plays, online discussion and class activities. The lecturers will guide students in their online discussions and provide continuous assessment of their online activities.

None.

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills, and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to providing support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/.

This subject forms part of the U21 Global Issues Programme (GIP). The GIP is an undergraduate multidisciplinary concurrent Certificate and Diploma administered through the Faculty of Arts and taught by the University of Melbourne in conjunction with the Universities of British Columbia (Canada), Hong Kong (China), Nottingham (United Kingdom), Queensland (Australia), Lund (Sweden) and Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico). It is designed to give a global context to undergraduate degrees through online collaborative learning and student exchange. Because this subject will be delivered by lecturers from the Melbourne Law School, it is also open to students enrolled in the LLB. The subject requires students to consider the changing role of law (both domestic and international) in the global economy and will use web-based technology to enact certain global processes, facilitating collaboration and comparative approaches across the globe. The subject takes the form of a series of collaborative role play exercises. These role plays combine various theoretical approaches with a series of inter-connected case studies of contemporary global flows and the regulatory issues they present. Each role-play will take around four weeks and will include a critical consideration of the complex network of finance, migration, trade, culture and ways of contesting globalisation.

By the end of this subject, students should have acquired:

• Knowledge of theoretical principles useful in understanding the underpinnings of contemporary global flows;
• An ability to evaluate and synthesise the literature relating to globalisation and its relationship to legal, environmental, economic, political and/or social change;
• An understanding of the interconnectedness between individuals, societies, organisations and nation states and how they relate to the legal, cultural, environmental, economic and political dimensions of globalisation;
• Sensitivity to the impact of legal, cultural, environmental, economic and political flows around the world from a variety of perspectives;
• An appreciation of how changes in the nature and function of law are both constituted by, and themselves constitute theories of globalisation;
• An ability to engage in debate around issues of public interest in law and globalisation.
  

Online participation, which will last for the duration of the subject, will involve:

• Ongoing collaborative tasks, equivalent to a written assignment of 2,000 words (50%);
• A written assignment of 3,000 words, due after the online component of the subject has been completed (50%).

In addition there are two hurdle requirements which must be met in order to pass the subject:

• Participation in an orientation exercise designed to introduce students to the class and to the website and how to navigate it (hurdle);
• All participation online must be non-offensive and non-vexatious (hurdle).
  

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

• Bachelor of Arts
• Bachelor of Biomedicine
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Environments
• Bachelor of Music
• Bachelor of Science
• Bachelor of Engineering

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

On completion of the subject students should have developed the following generic skills:

• The capacity to understand and participate as an individual in collaborative multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams;
• An ability to use simulations, interactive material, and technologies designed to enhance collaboration and team work;
• A capacity for close reading and analysis of a range of primary and secondary texts;
• A capacity for critical and independent thought and reflection;
• The capacity to communicate cross-culturally and across disciplines.
  

Students enrolled in this subject as part of the GIP must be capable of reading and writing in English to a university standard. If you have any doubts or queries about the level of English required, please contact the subject coordinators.