LAW4304 Forensic evidence: Law, science, medicine and technology
Faculty of Law
LAW4304 Forensic evidence: Law, science, medicine and technology is a level 4, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Law. It isn't offered in 2022. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2022
- Not offered
- Assessment
- Exam 50%
- and 1 other task
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2022 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before LAW4304
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After LAW4304
No unit lists LAW4304 as a prerequisite in the 2022 handbook.
Enrolment rules
Corequisite:
- For students who commenced their LLB (Hons) course in 2015 or later: LAW3111 and LAW3112
Prerequisite:
- For students who commenced their LLB (Hons) course in 2015 or later: LAW1111; LAW1114; LAW1112; LAW1113; LAW2101; LAW2102; LAW2112 and LAW2111
- For students who commenced their LLB course prior to 2015: LAW1100 OR LAW1101 and LAW1102 or LAW1104; LAW3301; LAW3302
Overview
This unit examines the interaction between science, medicine, technology and the law. It focuses on the issues that arise when experts give forensic evidence in legal proceedings. Each week experts will present lectures about their areas of expertise. Topics include:
- field investigations (e.g., crime scene investigation, fire and explosion investigation);
- death investigations (e.g., forensic pathology, forensic odontology, forensic anthropology);
- forensic medicine (e.g., investigation of adult and child sexual assault);
- mental health evidence (e.g., forensic psychiatry, forensic psychology);
- comparison evidence (e.g., fingerprints, ballistics, toolmarks, document examination);
- biological and chemical evidence (e.g., DNA, drug analysis, chemical trace evidence);
- technological evidence (e.g., digital evidence, AV evidence).
Offerings in 2022
The 2022 handbook lists no offerings for LAW4304.
Assessment
- Research paperResearch assignment50%
- Final examExam50%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Identify and articulate the challenges presented and the tensions which arise when forensic evidence is tendered in legal proceedings;
- 2
Critically assess forensic evidence in a range of fields, in order to identify its strengths and weaknesses;
- 3
Recognise and reflect upon the ethical issues that may arise when forensic evidence is given in legal proceedings, and the professional responsibilities of lawyers in addressing these issues;
- 4
Demonstrate research skills and the reasoning and professional judgment required to formulate appropriate responses to complex legal problems involving forensic evidence;
- 5
Communicate effectively and persuasively on issues relating to forensic evidence;
- 6
Learn and work autonomously and use feedback to improve their own performance.
Workload and teaching
- Seminars36 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. The unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
Learning resources
Required resources
See the Moodle unit page for prescribed and recommended resources. Prescribed texts are usually available for purchase through the University Bookstore and are sometimes available for short-term loan or as eBooks through the library.
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for LAW4304?
LAW4304 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is LAW4304 offered?
LAW4304 has no offerings listed in the 2022 handbook.
How much work is LAW4304?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does LAW4304 have an exam?
Yes. The exam is worth 50% of the final mark, alongside 1 other task.