LEGAL STUDIES

The Legal Studies program at Notre Dame is designed to provide students with an introduction to the Common Law Australian Legal System and the Constitutional powers of the Commonwealth, States and Territories.  Its delivery provides a broad but balanced introduction to the study of the Common Law Legal System as it exists in Australia.  This is done with reference to relevant cases and Statutes to highlight their value and importance in the creation of legal precedent.  We also examine the aligning of the Constitution to meet current societal norms by accepted conventions in an ever changing legal landscape, influenced by such internal causes as Indigenous Rights, and such external forces as international treaties, obligations, Human Rights movements and Globalisation. Some key areas Notre Dame’s Legal Studies program include the historical background to the Australian Legal System, covering the development of common law in England, how it evolved on migration to Australia, and the rise and evolution of key Legal and Political Institutions.  The program also plays close attention to the nature of the Australian Federation; the role of the judiciary and its independence from government; the Court structure and the roles of the legal profession.		Back to Arts and Sciences Fremantle | Sydney
		Units eligible
		Unit descriptions
		Degree Planner
		Internships
		Study Abroad
		Experience the World
		Honours
		Double Degrees available

The Legal Studies program also addresses the importance of legal research and writing, as well as providing an understanding of legal reasoning, case analysis, precedent and statutory interpretation. 

Students can apply their skills in Legal Studies upon graduation to seek employment in a range of key public and private sector industries.   Legal Studies would suit students who may have an interest in working within such government departments as the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), the Department of Consumer and Employment Protection, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Ministry of Justice.  Graduates of Legal Studies are also well positioned to seek employment as Research Assistants, Investigators or Compliance Analysts, particularly in such private industries as Law, Accounting and Finance.  A degree in Legal Studies may provide opportunities for further study, including a fourth year Honours program.  In some circumstances it may also prove to be a pathway to a Bachelor of Law degree.  For more information, contact Notre Dame’s School of Law.

The program is available to students of all degree areas at Notre Dame and is often completed as a major or minor in such Bachelor degrees as Arts, Behavioural Science, Communications and Education.

LEGAL STUDIES UNITS

Legal Studies units are offered in a two year rotation cycle and cover such areas as Business and Company Law, Law and Indigenous Rights, International Relations, the Media and Criminal Justice.  The Legal Studies program also allows for a practical internship relevant to a student’s interests in the industry, which can be counted towards either a major or minor in the program.

Eight approved units are required for a Major in Legal Studies; six approved units are required for a Minor in Legal Studies.

The following Units can be counted towards a Legal Studies Major or Minor:

	Required units for a major or minor:
LS100	Introduction to Legal Studies
	Legal Studies Electives
BS240	Business Law
BS340	Company Law
LS301	Law and Indigenous Rights
LS302	Law and Criminal Justice
LS303	Australia’s Political and Legal Institutions
LS304	Law and International Relations
LS305	Law and the Media
LS306	Managing the Environment: Political, Social and Legal Issues
PS309	Social Psychology of Justice
PS312	Beyond Family Violence: Issues and Responses
AL3008	Arts Internship
	Other eligible units if available, and as approved by the Dean:
JS317	Social Justice, Service Learning and Community Engagement (not in addition to the unit AL3008 Arts Internship).

UNIT DESCRIPTIONS, UNITS ON OFFER and DEGREE PLANNERS

The following resources are published on the School’s homepage and provide information regarding unit availability, unit content and program requirements:

• Units on Offer
• Majors, Minors and Specialisations lists
• Degree Planners
• Unit Descriptions

STUDY ABROAD

The Study Abroad program allows Notre Dame’s Legal Studies students to spend one semester of their degree at an overseas university in North America, the United Kingdom or Europe while gaining full credit in their degree at home.  Some students may be eligible for a Student Exchange Scholarship to help reduce the cost of airfares, accommodation and other expenses.

Students from the School of Arts and Sciences may be particularly interested in spending a semester with some of our partners in the United States, including Boston College, the University of San Francisco, the Catholic University of America (Washington DC) and Gonzaga University (in Washington State).  Other study opportunities exist in Dublin, London, Rome and Lyons.

For more information please contact Notre Dame’s Study Abroad office.

EXPERIENCE THE WORLD

A variety of opportunities for extended scholarly and service learning exist for those students conducting a degree in Notre Dame’s School of Arts and Sciences.  Participation in these programs will provide students with additional professional and life skills that will not only enrich their learning experience at University, but will make their degree more marketable and attractive on completion.

East Kimberley Community Immersion
Students of such Arts and Sciences majors as Social Justice, Politics, History, Communications, English Literature, Legal Studies, Sociology and Theatre Studies may be eligible to participate in our East Kimberley immersion program.  This unique and often life-changing educational experience sees small teams of students travel to remote communities of Australia’s north-west twice a year.  In such towns as Wyndham and communities as Oombulgurri, Notre Dame students spend four weeks living and working with local young people in a project designed to achieve meaningful reconciliation and greater engagement between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia.

This program is normally available as an elective within a degree program and may, on approval of the Dean, be eligible to be counted towards a major or minor.

Caritas Australia development program
We believe that university education should be about more than training for a profession.  Rather, we want Notre Dame students to be ready to change the world.

Students of Arts and Sciences at Notre Dame are eligible to participate in an overseas program we conduct each year in partnership with the aid organisation, Caritas Australia.  Teams of Notre Dame staff and students visit an overseas location such as Cambodia, Uganda or India. In an immersion experience of up to four weeks, the team explores the development work conducted by Caritas and studies, among other things, the intersection of poverty, development, politics and globalisation.

The Caritas program may be available as an elective within a degree program and may, on approval of the Dean, be counted towards a major or minor.

DEGREE PLANNERS

To review the content of a Bachelor of Arts, Behavioural Science, Communications, Counselling or Science, or to download the official course planner for your degree, please click here.

HONOURS

Students who have completed an Arts, Behavioural Science, Communications or Science degree, with at least a distinction average in their major, may be eligible to undertake a fourth year in the School’s Honours program.

Honours in Legal Studies, provides a professional finish to your undergraduate degree and should make your educational qualifications more competitive in the industry in which you hope to build your career.

Because of the unique nature of Notre Dame’s School of Arts and Sciences, students completing an Honours degree in Legal Studies have the opportunity to develop an inter-disciplinary research project which may combine their work in Legal Studies with such other disciplines as History or Politics.

Students completing an Honours program in Legal Studies will undertake a major research project under supervision, complete coursework in related units, participate in a regular interdisciplinary seminar series and contribute to a conference program regarding their research activities.

For further information on Honours please speak with any academic member of staff or contact the Honours coordinators.

DOUBLE DEGREES

Legal Studies combines well with the study of other degrees at Notre Dame, including such Bachelor degrees as Communications or Education. 

Adding a Legal Studies major, or other Arts and Sciences discipline areas, to your professional degree will add to your graduate employment opportunities, increase your learning experience at university and provide you with enhanced writing and research skills.

A Bachelor of Arts, Arts (Politics and Journalism), Behavioural Science or Communications is often studied in combination with such professional degrees as Law, Education or Business.