MLP114 - Criminal Law

Unit details

Year

2025 unit information

Enrolment modes:

Trimester 1: Burwood (Melbourne), Online
Trimester 2: Burwood (Melbourne), Waterfront (Geelong), Online, Community Based Delivery (CBD)*

Credit point(s):1
EFTSL value:0.125
Previously coded as:

MLL114, MLL214

Unit Chair:Trimester 1: Antje Kreutzmann-Gallasch
Trimester 2: Luciana Moron
Cohort rule:

For Bachelor of Laws (including combined Law awards) students only

Prerequisite:

Nil

Corequisite:

Students enrolled before 2019: MLL110
Students commencing from 2019: MLL110 and MLL113

Incompatible with: MLL214, MLP233
Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment:

Online independent and asynchronous collaborative learning up to a maximum of 1 hour each week and 1 x 1.5 hour on-campus lecture (recordings provided) and 1 x 1.5 hour on-campus seminar (recordings provided) each week

Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment:

Online independent and asynchronous collaborative learning up to a maximum of 1 hour each week and 1 x 1.5 hour online and lecture (recordings provided) and 1 x 1.5 hour online seminar (recordings provided) each week

Typical study commitment:

Students will on average spend 150 hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit.

This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site.

Note:

*Community Based Delivery (CBD) is for National Indigenous Knowledges, Education, Research and Innovation NIKERI Institute students only.

Content

The unit aims to introduce students to the basic principles of criminal law and current theories concerning the nature and purpose of criminal liability and punishment. Students will also be required to examine the principal criminal offences and the defences to those offences. Topics include: definition of crime; nature and purpose of the criminal law; the role and utility of criminal law and punishment; elements of criminal liability; participants in criminal activity; attempt, homicide and other offences against the person; property offences; and defences to liability.

Learning Outcomes

ULO These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can:

Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs)

ULO1

Describe and analyse a range of statutory and common law criminal offences and defences and distinguish them from one another.

GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities

ULO2

Identify issues of criminal liability in a problem scenario 

GLO4: Critical thinking

ULO3

Apply principles of criminal law to resolve issues in a problem scenario 

GLO5: Problem solving

Assessment

Assessment Description Student output Grading and weighting
(% total mark for unit)
Indicative due week
Assessment 1 (Individual) Problem Based Written Assignment 2000 words 40% Week 7

Examination: Specified resources

2 hours 60% End-of-unit assessment period

The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.

Learning resource

The texts and reading list for the unit can be found via the University Library MLP114 link.

Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.

Unit Fee Information

Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.

Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.

Estimate your fees

For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.