MLP114 - Criminal Law
Unit details
| Year | 2026 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes | Trimester 1: Burwood (Melbourne), Online |
| Credit point(s) | 1 |
| Previously coded as | MLL114, MLL214 |
| EFTSL value | 0.125 |
| Unit chair | Trimester 1: Luciana Moro Trimester 2: Antje Kreutzmann-Gallasch |
| Cohort rule | For Bachelor of Laws (including combined Law awards) students only |
| Prerequisite | Nil |
| Corequisite | Students enrolled before 2019: MLL110 |
| Incompatible with | MLL214, MLP233 |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment | Pre-recorded lectures up to a maximum of 1 hour per week, and 1 x 1.5 hour on-campus lecture (recordings provided) per week and 1 x 1.5 hour on-campus seminar (recordings provided) per week. |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment | Pre-recorded lectures up to a maximum of 1hour per week, and 1 x 1.5 online lecture (recordings provided) per week and 1 x 1.5 hour online seminar (recordings provided) per 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. |
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
Each unit in your course is a building block towards Deakin's Graduate Learning Outcomes - not all units develop and assess every Graduate Learning Outcome (GLO).
| 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 | 1500 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.
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
To fully engage with Deakin's learning experiences, students must be able to access and use internet-connected devices as outlined in computing requirements at Deakin.
To support student success at Deakin, we have a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) learning environment that acknowledges that students and educators bring with them the digital tools they regularly use to complete academic tasks. These tools stay with you beyond the classroom, helping you to keep learning, explore ideas more deeply, and connect with knowledge in ways that matter to you.
Students requiring a loan device should visit our Loan Laptop webpage or students requiring longer-term assistance should visit our Student Financial Assistance webpage.
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.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.