Courses & Units

Criminal Law: Homicide and Other Complex Offences LAW218

Introduction

This unit builds on Criminal Law 1: Principles and Processes. It draws students into deeper analyses of doctrinal criminal law through studying homicide, sexual offences, drug offences, serious driving offences and property offences. This unit also introduces you to the framework the criminal law uses for prosecuting more than one person for being ‘a party’ to an offence in some way. In some sections of the unit you will encounter advanced concepts, such as determining whether killing someone already thought to be dead constitutes murder. Since the criminal laws studied are contained in Tasmanian and Australian legislation, the unit enhances students’ skills in statutory interpretation, which are highly valued in various professional settings.

Summary

Unit name Criminal Law: Homicide and Other Complex Offences
Unit code LAW218
Credit points 12.5
College/School College of Arts, Law and Education
Faculty of Law
Discipline Law
Coordinator Doctor Matias Thomsen
Available as an elective? No
Delivered By University of Tasmania

Availability

Location Study period Attendance options Available to
Hobart Semester 2 On-Campus International Domestic

Key

On-campus
Off-Campus
International students
Domestic students
Note

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Key Dates

Study Period Start date Census date WW date End date
Semester 2 22/7/2024 16/8/2024 9/9/2024 27/10/2024

* The Final WW Date is the final date from which you can withdraw from the unit without academic penalty, however you will still incur a financial liability (refer to How do I withdraw from a unit? for more information).

Unit census dates currently displaying for 2024 are indicative and subject to change. Finalised census dates for 2024 will be available from the 1st October 2023. Note census date cutoff is 11.59pm AEST (AEDT during October to March).

About Census Dates

Learning Outcomes

  • Recall and summarise legal definitions, the outcomes of court cases, and the facts that need to be proven to establish guilt for different criminal offences
  • Examine the reasoning behind a particular judgment, principle, proposition or interpretation from the perspective of lawyers representing the prosecution and the accused
  • Predict how a court might decide a question of law given a certain factual situation and conflicting legal opinion regarding the correct interpretation of criminal law statutes
  • Explain orally and in writing the relevant law and application to factual context

Fee Information

Field of Education Commencing Student Contribution 1,3 Grandfathered Student Contribution 1,3 Approved Pathway Course Student Contribution 2,3 Domestic Full Fee 4
090905 $2,040.00 $1,597.00 not applicable $2,040.00

1 Please refer to more information on student contribution amounts.
2 Please refer to more information on eligibility and Approved Pathway courses.
3 Please refer to more information on eligibility for HECS-HELP.
4 Please refer to more information on eligibility for FEE-HELP.

If you have any questions in relation to the fees, please contact UConnect or more information is available on StudyAssist.

Please note: international students should refer to What is an indicative Fee? to get an indicative course cost.

Requisites

Prerequisites

50 credit points of Introductory Law core (or LAW107 and LAW108) and LAW229

Teaching

Teaching Pattern

2 hour weekly Lecture

2 hour fortnightly Seminar

Dr Matias Thomsen & Assoc Prof Jeremy Prichard will be the Unit Coordinators for this unit.

 

AssessmentAssessment Task 2: Seminar Participation (20%)|Assessment Task 3: Seminar Paper (40%)|Assessment Task 4: Examination (40%)
TimetableView the lecture timetable | View the full unit timetable

Textbooks

Required

Required readings will be listed in the unit outline prior to the start of classes.

LinksBooktopia textbook finder

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