What is ATAR Politics and Law all about?
Have you ever watched the news and wondered what all those politicians were arguing about in Parliament? Or how juries arrive at their verdicts during criminal trials? Then this course is for you! Politics and Law explores the processes and procedures under which our nation is governed. You will learn about how laws are made in our Parliament and then applied in our courts and engage in activities such as mock Parliament’s, trials and trips to the local courthouse.
Who should select these units in Year 11?
This course would be useful for students who are thinking about pursuing a career in law, political advocacy, public administration, community development, teaching, journalism, human resource management, government and commerce.
Students wanting to select ATAR Politics and Law will need to have successfully passed the Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (OLNA) in Year 10 or prequalified by achieving Band 8 or higher in the Year 9 NAPLAN.
Pathway
This course will lead to the study of political and legal power and authority in Units 3 and 4 in Year 12 and possible University entrance.
Areas of Study
UNIT 1 – Democracy and the rule of law
- Types of Democracy
- Non-democratic systems of Government
- Separation of power
- International influences on Australia’s system of Government
- Key processes of civil and criminal trials
UNIT 2 – Representation and Justice
- Elections and electoral systems used in Australia
- Models of representation
- Effectiveness of the justice system
- The jury system
To provide for different learning styles a variety of assessment tasks are used. For each course of study tasks are selected from:
- Research investigation
- Essays
- Topic test
- Source analysis
- Examination
What is ATAR Politics and Law all about?
Australian politics is currently experiencing one of its most interesting phases, from leadership challenges, debates about human rights to the growth of the dominance of micro parties in Parliament. If you are interested in learning about how our country is governed and the importance of accountability of our government and the need for protection of human rights then this course is for you! Politics and Law explores the processes and procedures under which our nation is governed. You will learn about how power is divided between our state and federal government and also engage in debate such as whether or not Parliament fulfils its functions and the adequacy of human rights protection in Australia.
Who should select these units in Year 12?
This course would be useful for students who are thinking about pursuing a career in law, political advocacy, public administration, community development, teaching, journalism, human resource management, government and commerce.
Students wanting to select ATAR Politics and Law will need to have successfully passed ATAR Politics and Law Unit 1 and 2 in year 11.
Pathway
This course could possibly lead to University entrance.
Areas of Study
UNIT 3 – Political and Legal Power
- Australian constitution
- Separation of power
- Federalism
- Role of the High Court
- Landmark cases of the High Court
- Functions of Parliament
- Possibility of an Australian republic.
UNIT 4 – Accountability and Rights
- Accountability of Parliament and Courts
- Accountability of members of Parliament – ministerial responsibility
- Changing political and legal rights of women and indigenous Australians
- Protection of human rights in Australia
To provide for different learning styles a variety of assessment tasks are used. For each course of study tasks are selected from:
- Research investigation
- Essays
- Short answer test
- Source analysis
- Examination