LAW5476 The death penalty: Law, politics, and advocacy
Faculty of Law
LAW5476 The death penalty: Law, politics, and advocacy is a level 5, 6-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Law, offered in 2026 in Semester 1 at Monash Law Chambers. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2026
- Semester 1
- Monash Law Chambers
- Assessment
- No exam
- 3 tasks
This is the 2026 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before LAW5476
Prohibitions
You can't enrol if you have passed any of these.
After LAW5476
No unit lists LAW5476 as a prerequisite in the 2026 handbook.
Enrolment rules
For Juris Doctor students (L6005), you must have completed 72 credit points of study.
Overview
The overall aim of this unit is to provide students 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, students will be asked to draw on recent and controversial cases as well as social scientific literature. The unit aims to encourage students 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 |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Monash Law Chambers | On campus, block |
Assessment
- Class participationDemonstration10%
- Group presentationPresentation30%
- 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
- Workshops24 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit typically comprises of a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study applicable to a 6 credit point unit. Learning 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.
Where it fits
LAW5476 is part of 3 areas of study in the 2026 handbook.
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Sara Kowal
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for LAW5476?
LAW5476 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is LAW5476 offered?
In 2026, LAW5476 runs in Semester 1 at Monash Law Chambers.
Does LAW5476 have an exam?
No. LAW5476 has 3 assessment tasks and no exam.
Which majors and minors include LAW5476?
LAW5476 is part of Criminal law and forensics; Global society and human rights; and Health law and community.