Law of Communication (9424.1)

Please note these are the 2018 details for this unit
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Law of Communication
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Business, Government & Law
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
Canberra Law School Level 2 - Undergraduate Intermediate Unit Band 4 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 4 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan Social Work_Exclude 0905)
Band 5 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
Underlying themes of the unit include the relationships between freedom of expression and the law, and media ethics and the law. Students will be introduced to some of the key contemporary issues facing the media, including the impact of the 2006 Uniform Defamation legislation, the protection of intellectual property rights, recent reforms to privacy legislation, and the challenges of the internet. The Unit will also look at the policy behind the way media content is currently regulated and consider whether the current law is sufficiently adapted to deal with some of the key contemporary issues.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Have an enhanced understanding of legal issues affecting the media and be able to apply this in a practical context. Students will develop greater awareness of legal risks and develop greater capacity for legal risk identification, risk assessment and risk management in relation to the production of media content;

2. Demonstrate an understanding of case law and statutory provisions relating to freedom of expression in Australia;
3. Demonstrate an understanding of how the law impacts upon the work of communication professionals; and
4. Demonstrate an ability to analyse and identify legal issues and the legal principles that apply to concrete situations and to evaluate those legal principles.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - take pride in their professional and personal integrity
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
1. UC graduates are professional - work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict


Prerequisites

Students must have successfully completed at least 18 credit points.

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

Students who have completed unit 7098 Law of Communications cannnot enrol in this unit.

Equivalent units

7098 Law of Communications.

Assumed knowledge

None.
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
Not available

Required texts

Students will need to access the below text for the purposes of completing the course of study in the Unit.

  • Butler, Des and Sharon Rodrick, Australian Media Law (Lawbook Co, 5th Ed, 2015).

NB:  Refer to the Reading List on Canvas for the list of weekly readings.

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

Summaries for the Tutorial Presentation must be provided to the tutor in hard copy on the day of their presentation.  Summaries for the Online Discussion Lead must be provided via the Canvas discussion group as a 'post' (ie not an attachment).

The Mid-Semester Assignment and End of Semester Take Home Examination must be submitted online via Canvas.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Participation requirements

Refer to the Assessment Details for information on the tutorial participation component

Required IT skills

None.

Work placement, internships or practicums

None

Additional information

All written assessment items must be referenced in accordance with the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (available on Canvas)