Unit rationale, description and aim
A defining characteristic of modern-day migration law and practice is not merely specialised content knowledge, but also the ability to draw upon evidence to revise that knowledge and in so doing enhance and innovate professional practice. Research-informed decision making is now a term widely used across a range of contexts and it is therefore critical for practitioners to understand what constitutes valid research, how it has been produced, and in what ways such research can be applied. By fully understanding and utilising research, migration law practitioners and scholars can be leaders in their field and have a lasting impact on the future.
The aim of this unit is to build upon the Migration Law Research Paper unit in order to enable students in the postgraduate course who are otherwise qualified to do so to undertake a thesis enabling them to progress to a PhD Program in the Faculty of Law and Business in the field of migration law and practice.
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.
Design and complete to a high standard an independ...
Learning Outcome 01
Demonstrate a capacity to conduct independent, sel...
Learning Outcome 02
Develop advanced conceptual and critical analysis ...
Learning Outcome 03
Communicate a capacity for critical identification...
Learning Outcome 04
Effectively communicate a knowledge and applicatio...
Learning Outcome 05
Content
Topics will include:
1. Introduction to Research
2. Research Strategies
3. Mapping a Research Plan
4. Writing each chapter of your thesis
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment in this unit is designed to enable students to demonstrate a high level of analytical, research, presentation and writing skills. In order to pass this unit, you must submit a final thesis and achieve an overall score of 50 percent for both submissions. A research proposal will need to be submitted in the early stage of the unit, and this will need to be approved by your supervisor in order to continue on with the unit. The final thesis will be examined by two independent examiners appointed by the National Head of School or nominee. This may include external examiners and will exclude your supervisor.
Overview of assessments
Assessment task: Final Thesis (12,000 -15,000 wor...
Assessment task: Final Thesis (12,000 -15,000 words). As part of this assessment, you will be required to hand in a research proposal in the early stage of the unit. You will be unable to undertake the final thesis without achieving a pass mark in the research proposal.
100%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit will be offered by way of personal supervision from a designated academic. Supervision will be provided online and/or in person as needed. The learning and teaching and assessment strategies include a range of approaches to support your learning such as reading, reflection, online discussion, webinars, case studies podcasts, workshops, self-directed learning tasks and assignments.
This is a 40-credit point unit and has been designed to ensure that the time needed to complete the required volume of learning to the requisite standard is approximately 400 hours in total.
Representative texts and references
Representative texts and references
Australian Guide to Legal Citations
Grich, C., Qualitative Data Analysis An introduction (SAGE 2nd ed 2013)
Cane, P. and Kritzer, H.,Oxford Handbook of Empirical Legal Research (Oxford University Press, 2012)