DPLC100 - Academic Literacy in Law and Criminology

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Nil

Incompatible

DPBI100 Academic Literacy in Business and Information Technology , DPHS100 Academic Literacy in Health Sciences

Unit rationale, description and aim

To succeed in university studies, students need to be able to source knowledge from a range of academic sources and apply this knowledge to build their own arguments using appropriate academic conventions. This unit is designed to equip students with the academic language and literacy skills needed for university learning in the context of higher education in Australia. Students will develop basic research skills using a wide range of texts and data, analytical thinking, oral and written communication, and the ability to extract and synthesise information. Importantly, topics, issues and tasks related to both study at university and the disciplines of Law and Criminology will be explored. More broadly, students will develop an understanding of the university context to be able to successfully participate in academic and student life at university and in the wider community. The aim of this unit is to facilitate the learning of academic competencies for tertiary study, and to simultaneously complement the knowledge, skills and attributes in Law and Criminology.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Recognise the importance, policies and strategies for building safe and supportive environments for working with children, young people and vulnerable adults, respecting their dignity (GA1, GA5)

LO2 - Demonstrate understanding of the academic culture, conventions, and independent learning skills required in an Australian tertiary setting (GA4)

LO3 - Work independently and as part of a group utilising effective organisational, teamwork and problem-solving skills (GA7, GA9, GA10)

LO4 - Conduct guided basic research by identifying and analysing academic sources, using a range of library resources and databases, and apply appropriate referencing conventions relevant to the discipline (GA4, GA5, GA8)

LO5 - Communicate effectively using oral, written and multimodal, including digital formats (GA9, GA10)

LO6 - Apply critical thinking and reflective tools across a range of academic tasks (GA4, GA8)

Graduate attributes

GA1 - demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA7 - work both autonomously and collaboratively 

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media 

GA10 - utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively.

Content

Topics will include:

• Introduction to the academic learning community
• Academic integrity
• Introduction to library services, basic research skills and evaluating sources
• Introduction to referencing, citations and reference lists
• Introduction to foundational discipline knowledge
• Reading and understanding academic texts
• Critical reading strategies
• Identifying a range of academic perspectives
• Note-taking, summarising and paraphrasing
• Oral communication skills
• The language of presentations
• Critical thinking
• Reflective thinking, including language of reflection
• Academic genres including paragraph development
• Academic styles:
• vocabulary, sentence structure and grammar
• common language difficulties
• hedging and cohesion
• Exam preparation

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit aims to support the learning of students and their success in both the associated Diplomas and pathway Bachelor degrees. Guided support will prepare students to develop skills and strategies to manage the demands of university study, including working independently and as part of a group. This will be facilitated by additional engagement with teaching staff both in and out of class to support students as they develop a deeper understanding of the tertiary environment and the discipline. Workshop instruction is designed to build and promote independence in research, the evaluation of information, the execution of academic tasks, and to enhance academic language proficiency. Classes in this unit use an active learning approach by being student-focussed and collaborative, with an emphasis on peer engagement. To support students in the exploration and understanding of content and the problem solving required to apply knowledge, students will be encouraged to draw on themes from the other Law and Criminology units in the course.

Assessment strategy and rationale

The unit assessments are designed to enable students to demonstrate achievement for each learning outcome, and to assist students in preparing for assessment and communication requirements of their future undergraduate studies. Assessment tasks will prepare students for similar assessments in the discipline units. Assessment tasks are scaffolded (or staged) in order to incrementally develop students’ understanding and application of the academic language skills and conventions required in a university setting. The tasks are developmental and designed to build on knowledge and skills from workshop activities and independent learning to demonstrate achievement of the learning outcomes. Additionally, in preparation for future professional placement or community engagement units in the associated Bachelor programs, students will be required to complete one hurdle task, the ACU Child-safe organisations online module.

The group presentation and individual reflection (Assessment 1) will assist students to organise and present information as part of a team. Research for the presentation will be supported with sample articles provided to the students. Assessment 1 also requires students to apply the organisational, time management, and communication skills explored in the unit. The essay (Assessment 2), a common assessment type in Law and Criminology undergraduate programs, allows students to demonstrate basic research skills by sourcing academic and/or legal texts and evaluating, organising and synthesising information in a written context. Students will also be assessed on their ability to write clearly and accurately using formal academic language and conventions. Students will choose a topic related to the context of the discipline to develop knowledge and understanding in this area. The final exam (Assessment 3) assesses the student’s understanding and application of the unit content and relevant skills under exam conditions.

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Australian Catholic University. (n.d.). Academic Skills Unit. https://www.acu.edu.au/student-life/student-services/academic-skills-development/academic-skills-unit

Australian Catholic University. (n.d.). Safeguarding Children and Young People Portal. https://safeguardingchildren.acu.edu.au/

Bailey, S. (2015). Academic writing a handbook for international students (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Baron, P., & Corbin, L. (2016). Legal writing: academic and professional communication. Oxford University Press. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/acu/reader.action?docID=4837035#

Brick, J., Herke, M., & Wong, D. (2016). Academic culture: A student’s guide to studying at university. (3rd ed.). Palgrave Macmillan.

Cottrell, S. (2021). Study Skills: The Study Skills Handbook. (4th ed.). Macmillan.

Godfrey, J (2009). How to use your reading in your essays. Palgrave Macmillan.

Hale, A., & Basides, H. (2013). The keys to academic English. Macmillan.

Lewin, B.A. (2010). Writing readable research: a guide for students of social science. Equinox.

Pears, R., & Shields, G. (2010). Cite them right: the essential referencing guide. (8th ed.). Palgrave Macmillan.

Reinders, H., Lewis, M., & Phung, L. (2017). Studying in English: Strategies for success in higher education. Macmillan.

Turner, K., Ireland, L., Krenus, B., & Pointon, L. (2008). Essential academic skills. Oxford University Press.