Evidence unit (LAW422)

Introduction

This course imparts a basic knowledge of the doctrine, principles and rules relating to the law of evidence in both criminal and civil proceedings. It focuses primarily upon fostering students ability to identify, explain, apply and critique relevant rules of evidence accurately and succinctly when applying the law of evidence to legal problems. It aims to develop an appreciation of the determinative role that the rules of evidence can have on the course and outcomes of trials and it encourages students to appraise critically the evidential rules governing formal proceedings. The course also seeks to provide students with the opportunity to engage actively in the learning experience through classroom discussions and court observations. This enhances their ability to evaluate trial processes and evidentiary doctrines from legal and justice perspectives. Studies cover: the nature of evidence, basic evidential concepts, classifications of evidence, obtaining evidence including the course of evidence in trials and the rules relating to the competence and compellability of witnesses, mechanisms for dealing with unreliable evidence and the major exclusionary rules including the relevance rule, the hearsay rule, the opinion evidence rule, the credibility rule and rules relating to tendency and coincidence evidence.

Summary

Unit name	Evidence
Unit code	LAW422
Credit points	12.5
College/School	Arts and Society Faculty of Law
Discipline	Law
Coordinator	Doctor Matias Thomsen
Delivered By	University of Tasmania
Level	Honours

Availability

Specific information on 2027 unit availability will be available in August

Learning Outcomes

• Identify, explain, apply and critique doctrines, principles and rules relating to the law of evidence and their rationales and understanding of the theoretical foundation of the law of evidence and the basic purposes it serves.
• Identify evidentiary issues raised in legal problems and apply relevant evidentiary rules.
• Clearly and succinctly explain evidence law and its application to both hypothetical scenarios and trial processes, orally and in writing.
• Reflect on the operation of the law of evidence in the trial context; and a variety of justice issues relating to evidence.

Fee Information

2027 fee information will be available in August.

Requisites

Prerequisites

50 credit points of Advanced Law core

Teaching

Teaching Pattern	Lecture: 2 hour weekly face-to-face (recorded) Seminar: 2 hour fortnightly face-to-face (commencing in Week 2 of semester)
Assessment	Assessment Task 1: Mid-semester Test (20%)|Assessment Task 2: Courtroom Trial Observations and Written Analysis (20%)|Assessment Task 3: Seminar Participation (20%)|Assessment Task 4: Final Exam (40%)
Timetable	View the lecture timetable | View the full unit timetable

Textbooks

Required	Stephen Odgers, Uniform Evidence Law (Thomson Reuters, 19th ed, 2024). Odgers is also available through the University library as an eBook.
Recommended	Jeremy Gans, Andrew Palmer, and Andrew Roberts Uniform Evidence, (OUP, 4th ed, 2025). Gans is also available through the University library as an eBook. Earlier editions are fine. Jill Hunter et al, The Trial (Federation Press, 2021).

The University reserves the right to amend or remove courses and unit availabilities, as appropriate.