LAW4543 The death penalty: Law, politics and advocacy
Faculty of Law
LAW4543 The death penalty: Law, politics and advocacy is a level 4, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Law, offered in 2026 in Winter at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2026
- Winter
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 4 tasks
This is the 2026 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before LAW4543
Prohibitions
You can't enrol if you have passed any of these.
After LAW4543
No unit lists LAW4543 as a prerequisite in the 2026 handbook.
Enrolment rules
You must have completed at least 60 credit points of law study
Overview
The overall aim of this unit is to provide you with a good understanding of the scope and practice of the death penalty as well as the movement - backed by international organisations, human rights treaties and the domestic courts—to abolish the death penalty.
Specific aims involve exploring the relationship between international human rights law and the domestic protection of human rights. Throughout the unit, you will be asked to draw on recent and controversial cases as well as social scientific literature. The unit aims to encourage you to explore the politics of the abolitionist movement, including the arguments and forces that have been at work to achieve abolition and those that have been used to resist it. This unit focuses on the death penalty in the Asia-Pacific region.
Offerings in 2026
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Winter semester | Clayton | On campus, block |
Assessment
- Class participationDemonstration10%
- Group debatePresentation15%
- Individual reflection (on group debate)Written15%
- Research essayWritten60%
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Apply knowledge and understanding of recent developments to the death penalty from legal, political and advocacy perspectives.
- 2
Investigate, analyse and synthesise complex information, problems, concepts and theories in
relation to the rights of people facing capital punishment. - 3
Conduct research into capital punishment based on knowledge of appropriate international and
comparative law research principles and methods. - 4
Use cognitive, technical and creative skills to generate and evaluate at an abstract level complex
ideas and concepts relevant to the death penalty.. - 5
Work collaboratively with peers to challenge assumptions, to refine knowledge through dialogue, to learn to give and receive peer-feedback, and to develop stronger communication skills.
Workload and teaching
- Workshops36 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
The unit is taught over 36 contact hours. It is activity-based and interactive. You will work in small groups on in-class and after-class activities that incorporate allocated readings and your professional experience.
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.
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Sara Kowal
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for LAW4543?
LAW4543 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is LAW4543 offered?
In 2026, LAW4543 runs in Winter at Clayton.
Does LAW4543 have an exam?
No. LAW4543 has 4 assessment tasks and no exam.