LAW4801 Research Project
Brief outline of LAW4801 Research Project
A student undertaking LAW4801 Research Project will be "attached" to a particular elective unit (the “host unit”). You will attend classes for the host unit in the regular way, and will (amongst other things) write a research paper on a topic set by the host unit's Chief Examiner that pertains to the subject-matter of the host unit. Please see the table located at the end of these guidelines for a list of the host units available in 2024, as well as the essay topics pertaining to those units (where these have been made available).
A maximum of 4 students will be attached to each host unit for the purposes of Research Project.
Although students will normally write research papers individually, students may, at the discretion of the Chief Examiner of the relevant host unit, undertake Research Unit in groups of 3 or 4.
Eligibility and prerequisites
There is no minimum GPA requirement for entry into the Research Project. From 2024 you must have completed at least 72 credit points of study (or 12 x 6cp units) to be eligible to enrol.
Enrolling in LAW4801 Research Project
Eligible students will enrol through the Web Enrolment System (WES) in the usual way, however there is an additional step required in Moodle for students to select their ‘host unit’. Please ensure that you make your selection carefully as once you have selected a host unit, it is unable to be changed.
Please follow the below steps to enrol in LAW4801 Research Project:
- Enrol in LAW4801 Research Project through the Web Enrolment System (WES). For assistance with enrolling through WES, please visit the WES help for coursework students web page.
- Identify your host unit preference from the list available (see below ‘Research Project host units for 2023 and research project topics’.
- Approximately one week prior to the beginning of the semester in which you have enrolled in Research Project, you will receive access to Moodle and will be able to nominate your Host Unit. For assistance with Moodle, please visit the Moodle Support for Students web page.
- Select LAW4801 Research project
- Under ‘Choosing your host unit’, click on ‘Host unit selection’.
- Select your host unit and click on ‘Save my choice’.**
**Please make your selection carefully. Once you have selected a host unit, it cannot be changed. **
You must select your host unit by the end of week 2, as students can not be enrolled into a new unit after this time.
Allocation
We will endeavour to give each student their first preference of host unit, however the limit of 4 students per host unit means this may not always be possible.
In circumstances where more than 4 students wish to be allocated to a particular elective unit as the host unit for Research Project, enrolment will be based on a first come, first served basis. Students will assign themselves to the host unit in accordance with the availability of places in the host units, each of which has a quota.
Interaction with other units
You cannot enrol in Research Project unless you meet the prerequisites set out earlier in these guidelines. The prerequisites include successful completion of at least three other law elective units. Your enrolment in Research Project is otherwise independent of your enrolment in other elective units, even if that elective unit is your host unit for the purposes of Research Project.
This means that a student may be allocated to a particular host unit whether or not that student has previously undertaken that unit. Likewise, a student may enrol in an elective unit at the same time as that student is allocated to it as Research Project host unit.
For example, a student who is enrolled in Research Project in semester 1 2024 may be allocated LAW4129 Discrimination law as host unit whether or not that student has previously undertaken LAW4129. Likewise, a student who is enrolled in Research Project in semester 1 2024 with LAW4129 Discrimination law as host unit may also, at the same time, enrol in LAW4129 in the normal fashion.
Assessment
For students who complete the research project as an individual activity:
1. Research skills modules (designed to help students develop the necessary skills to plain, research and write their research project) and quiz, completed online (10%)
2. Project plan (10%)
3. Research Project paper (4,000 words) (80%)
For students who complete the research project as a group activity:
1. Research skills modules and quiz completed online (10%)
2. Project plan - group activity (10%)
3. Online reflective journal entries on the conduct of the project - individual activity (10%)
4. Research Project paper (8,000 words) - group activity (70%)
Consultation with lecturers
The host unit classes that Research Project students attend will give them a suitable foundation for undertaking their research and completing their assessment tasks. This means that lecturers will not, in the normal course, be able to provide students with substantive feedback on any of the items listed under “Assessment” above, prior to submission. For example, they will not be able to tell students if their interpretation of the law regarding a certain matter is correct. Lecturers will not be able to read drafts of any of the items listed under “Assessment” above.
Research Project host units for 2024 and research project topics
The following elective units are available as host units, for the purposes of Research Paper, in Semester 1 2024. The final topics will be confirmed as soon as we have the correct information.
Semester 1 2024
Unit | Chief Examiner | Topic |
LAW4113 Current problems in criminal law | Dr Stephen Gray | What types of mistakes ‘as to the sexual nature of the act’ (s 36AA(1)(j) Crimes Act) or as to the ‘identity of any other person’ (s 36AA(1)(k) Crimes Act) should be accepted in Victorian law as potentially satisfying the physical element of the offence of rape under s 38 Crimes Act (Vic)? Your answer should also consider whether the mental element of the offence is satisfied in cases of so-called ‘sex by fraud’. |
LAW4122 Public international law | Dr Monique Cormier | In 1979, Louis Henkin famously said ‘almost all nations observe almost all principles of international law and almost all of their obligations almost all of the time’. Is this still a defensible statement? In a horizontal, anarchic, system what drives states to comply with international law? |
LAW4129 Discrimination law | Mr Liam Elphick | Should the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic) provide for reasonable adjustments in respect of all attributes? Why, or why not? |
LAW4132 Law of employment | Mr Stuart Kollmorgen | Even where ’work from home’ has been demonstrated as possible during and following the covid-19 pandemic, Victorian employers are requiring employees to return to offices and shared workplaces on a full-time or a proportional number of days a week (‘hybrid’) basis in order to continue in employment or retain financial benefits, non-financial benefits and career paths. (for instance, large employers in Victoria have directed office attendance for 3 days per week or for 50% of working time.) |
LAW4158 Indigenous peoples and the law | Dr Stephen Gray | In November, 2023, Victoria repealed its public intoxication laws, so that being intoxicated in public is no longer a criminal offence. A major stated reason for the repeal of this law was its disproportionate impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Assess the likely effect of the repeal of these laws on Indigenous people and the criminal justice system. Include comparison with other jurisdictions where appropriate. |
LAW4193 Biotechnology and the law | Associate Pofessor Karinne Ludlow | Compare and contrast the regulation of and policy around genome edited animals taken in the Gene Technology Act 2000 (Cth) (as amended) with that taken in the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 (UK). You should also discuss what regulatory approach to the technology you prefer and explain your response. *Note that while ethical concerns may be noted in your answer, analysis of the correctness or otherwise of such ethical concerns will not be relevant in the assessment of the paper. Also, you can assume that the examiner understands the science and you need only explain scientific techniques where useful for your essay. |
LAW4301 Advanced torts | Associate Professor Gerry Nagtzaam | 'Statutory compensation schemes in Australia have proved to be a failure.' Critically discuss this statement. |
LAW4313 International environmental law | Associate Professor Brendan Gogarty | What is the function, role and contribution of due diligence to international environmental law: should it be seen as a fundamental principle, applicable to the entire subject area or are there competing and fragmented understandings of its definition, relevance and applicability to global environmental governance? |
LAW4522 Remedies | Dr Vicki Vann | Should punitive remedies be available for equitable causes of action? |
LAW4542 AI, technology and the law | Professor Chris Marsden | What are the main differences between the US and European general regulatory approaches to AI? Which is the better model for Australia to follow? |
LAW4544 Challenging government: law reform and public advocacy | Professor Luke Beck | Critically analyse the rationale and operation of the Electoral Act 2002 (Vic) in respect of the provisions exempting donations from nominated entities to political parties from the ordinary caps on political donations. |
LAW4671 Private investment law | Professor Stephen Barkoczy | Over the years, the Australian Government has introduced various incentives to encourage companies to undertake research and development activities. However, Australian companies still remain behind their international peers in their research and development performance. Critically analyse Australia’s research and development incentives and suggest improvements the Government could make. |
LAW4702 Competition and consumer law | Dr Mel Marquis | Application of competition law in regulated ('network') sectors. In some sectors of the economy, competition is reduced either due to the distinctive economic factors at play (e.g., where high fixed costs need to be recovered and the market, due to its size, can only sustain a limited number of operators) or because entry has to be restricted to pursue aims valued for (among others) political or social reasons. In each case, lawmakers and/or public authorities step in to regulate various aspects of the sector. There are many examples - gas and electricity, telecommunications, rail transport, airports, and so on. However, even in regulated sectors, competition is often possible, at least in certain market segments. The research task is to consider two or more regulated sectors (so-called 'network industries' where infrastructure and access to it is a major feature) in depth, examine how principles of competition law and competition policy have been applied in the context of those sectors, identify challenges for competition that may be particularly pronounced compared to unregulated sectors, and suggest ways in which competition law and sector regulation can productively interact to promote the interests of consumers without compromising the social or political objectives of regulation. In developing a research paper to address these issues, provide an account of the relevance, where applicable, of the Competition and Consumer Act, including (inter alia) the sector-specific regime for telecommunications (Part XIB), and/or Part IIIA of the Act, and/or other sector-specific access regimes. Be sure to consider the relevance of any competition law judicial decisions or administrative practice that have relevance to the research topic. |
LAW4703 Introduction to intellectual property | Marnie Brown | What are the emerging trends and challenges faced in Australian intellectual property law due to the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on copyright, patent, and trademark law? Analyse these trends and challenges, considering factors such as AI-generated works, automated inventions, and AI-assisted trademark searches. Critically discuss, propose, and evaluate potential legal reforms or adaptations to existing laws, to effectively address these issues and maintain a balanced framework for intellectual property protection in Australia in light of advancing AI technology. |
LAW4704 Taxation law | Professor Stephen Barkoczy | Australia’s imputation system is not the only system for alleviating the double taxation of corporate profits. What other systems are used around the world to address the double taxation of corporate profits? Compare and contrast these systems with the Australian imputation system and discuss their respective merits and detriments. |
Contact information
For further information about the Research Project unit, please contact:
- Law Undergraduate Student Services
Phone: Monash Connect Contact Centre on 1800 MONASH (1800 666 274)
Online: Ask.Monash