VCE Units 1 & 2 – Legal Studies
VCE Units 1 & 2 – Legal Studies
Overview
VCE Legal Studies examines the institutions and principles that are essential to the Australian legal system. Students develop an understanding of the rule of law, lawmakers, legal institutions, the protection of rights in Australia, and the Victorian justice system.
Unit 1 – The presumption of innocence
In this unit, students develop an understanding of legal foundations, such as the different types and sources of law, the characteristics of an effective law, and an overview of parliament and the courts. They investigate key concepts of criminal law and develop an appreciation of how a criminal case is determined, and the types and purposes of sanctions.
Areas of Study
- Legal Foundations – Students describe the main sources and types of law and evaluate the effectiveness of laws.
- Proving guilt – Students explain the purposes and key concepts of criminal law and use legal reasoning to argue the criminal culpability of an accused based on actual and/or hypothetical scenarios.
- Sanctions – Students explain the key concepts in the determination of a criminal case, discuss the principles of justice in relation to experiences of the criminal justice system, and discuss the ability of sanctions to achieve their purposes.
Unit 2 – Wrongs and rights
In this unit, students investigate key concepts of civil law and apply these to actual and/or hypothetical scenarios to determine whether a party is liable in a civil dispute. Students also develop an understanding of how human rights are protected in Australia.
Areas of Study
- Civil liability – Students explain the purposes and key concepts of civil law and apply legal reasoning to argue the liability of a party in civil law based on actual and/or hypothetical scenarios.
- Remedies – Students explain the key concepts in the resolution of a civil dispute, discuss the principles of justice in relation to experiences of the civil justice system, and discuss the ability of remedies to achieve their purposes.
- Human rights – Students explain one contemporary human rights issue in Australia, and evaluate the ways in which rights are protected in Australia.
Forms of Assessment
Case Studies, Tests, End of Year Exam
Prerequisites and Corequisites
It will be an advantage to have studied Civics and Citizenship in Year 10