LAWPUBL 405 : Special Topic: Law and Social Justice
Law
2022 Semester Two (1225) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
The course is taught by way of short modules from a number of the Law School's permanent faculty, augmented in 2022 by Eesvan Krishnan (Auckland alumnus, co-founder of EJP and now practising out of Hamilton as a barrister in London). Students are invited to do their 60% research paper in a particular field, associated with one or more of these modules. The research topic is to be selected and approved early in the course with the due date at the end of lectures.
In their various ways, the components of the course will explore how the law and legal practice can be used to advance a vision of social justice in New Zealand – both by identifying ways in which law can act as a barrier to social justice and how it can be reformed and deployed to achieve positive results. The course includes a focus on what is meant by social justice and on the phenomenon of public interest lawyering.
Those involved in teaching the course in 2022 are:
1 Jayden Houghton – Introduction to social justice, public interest law and the roles of lawyers
2 Arie Rosen – Using the law to achieve social justice: libertarians, liberals, and beyond
3 David Grinlinton – Is there a right to adequate housing in international law, and if so, what are the implications for New Zealand?
4 Eesvan Krishnan - Affirmative action policies and equality/ Law and Social Justice in the Global South
5 Fleur Te Aho – Tamariki in state care: a case study in social justice
6 Michael Littlewood – Where does the money come from? Taxation and tax policy as an instrument of social justice
7 Dylan Asafo and Litia Tuiburelevu – Pasifika in New Zealand and the search for social justice
8 Pene Mathew – Migration, refuge, and global social justice
9 Scott Optican – Law enforcement, criminal policy and social justice
And there will be guest lectures. The Course Director is Paul Rishworth.
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 1: | Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 2: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 3: | Solution Seeking |
| Capability 4: | Communication and Engagement |
| Capability 5: | Independence and Integrity |
| Capability 6: | Social and Environmental Responsibilities |
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate an understanding of and appraise the way in which persons speak of social justice and its indicators (Capability 1.1, 1.3, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 6.1, 6.2 and 6.3)
- Evaluate and reflect on the use of law and law reform as a tool for advancing social justice (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 5.2 and 6.3)
- Develop and demonstrate a good understanding of a discrete area of law and the means by which it bears upon matters of social justice (Capability 1.1, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 and 3.1)
- Evaluate the idea of public interest legal practice in its various forms (Capability 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 6.2 and 6.3)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Assignments | 10% | Individual Coursework |
| Research | 60% | Individual Coursework |
| Test | 30% | Individual Test |
| 3 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||||||
| Assignments | ||||||||||
| Research | ||||||||||
| Test | ||||||||||
Workload Expectations
This is a standard 15-point course. There will be around 36 hours of lectures in this course. As a general guide, you should expect a workload of three hours outside of the classroom for each hour spent in class. The guideline for the total workload for this course is 150 hours.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
Attendance is expected at lectures.
Lectures will be available as recordings.
The course will not include live online events.
Attendance on campus is not required for the test.
The lectures for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.
Learning Resources
Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).
Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.
There is no required text. Readings will be distributed.
Student Feedback
At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.
Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.
Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.
Class Representatives
Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.
Inclusive Learning
All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course director, lecturer or tutor.
Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz
Special Circumstances
If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a Student Academic and Support Adviser as soon as possible before the assessment is due.
If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.
This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.
Learning Continuity
In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.
Student Charter and Responsibilities
The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.
Disclaimer
Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.
In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.