LAW5492 Law and literature
Faculty of Law
LAW5492 Law and literature is a level 5, 6-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Law, offered in 2027 in Winter at Monash Law Chambers. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2027
- Winter
- Monash Law Chambers
- Assessment
- No exam
- 3 tasks
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Requisites
Before LAW5492
Prohibitions
You can't enrol if you have passed any of these.
After LAW5492
No unit lists LAW5492 as a prerequisite in the 2027 handbook.
Enrolment rules
For Legal Studies students (L4004, L5004, L6013) you must have completed LAW5000 or LAW5081; and
Juris Doctor students (L6005) who commenced their course in or before 2026 must have completed a minimum of 72 credit points of study.
Juris Doctor students (L6005) who commenced their course in 2027 or later must have completed a minimum of 60 credit points of study.
Equivalent units
The same content under another code. Only one of them counts.
Overview
In this unit, you will examine how core legal skills can be sharpened through an understanding of literary techniques. Lawyers work with stories: they listen to clients, interpret competing narratives of events, and construct persuasive accounts of what happened. You will explore narrative capacities central to legal practice, including crafting persuasive accounts, listening closely to the stories others tell, recognising different perspectives, and exercising imaginative empathy in legal reasoning. These capacities are examined through literary forms such as plays, memoirs, fiction, and songs. By studying literary texts alongside legal materials, you will examine how stories operate within the law and how attention to narrative craft can strengthen legal practice.
Offerings in 2027
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Winter semester | Monash Law Chambers | On campus, block |
Assessment
- TestQuiz / Test20%
- In-class assessment tasksDemonstration30%
- Written assignmentWritten50%
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 advanced knowledge and demonstrated understanding of issues and topics relating to law and literature.
- 2
Critically analyse and persuasively evaluate key concepts and issues in law and literature, contextualised within a broad range of practice, policy and theoretical perspectives.
- 3
Undertake research in order to analyse and synthesise complex information in response to complex issues relating to law and literature.
- 4
Demonstrate engaging, detailed, and persuasive communication across a range of topics law and literature.
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
LAW5492 is part of 1 area of study in the 2027 handbook.
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for LAW5492?
LAW5492 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is LAW5492 offered?
In 2027, LAW5492 runs in Winter at Monash Law Chambers.
Does LAW5492 have an exam?
No. LAW5492 has 3 assessment tasks and no exam.
Which majors and minors include LAW5492?
LAW5492 is part of Global society and human rights.
More details
- Credit points
- 6
- Level
- 5
- Study level
- Postgraduate
- Faculty
- Faculty of Law
- Type
- Coursework
- EFTSL
- 0.125
- Student contribution
- SCA Band 4
- Study abroad
- Available
- Handbook years
- 20262027