Internationalising the Australian Law Curriculum

A generic framework for an internationalised law curriculum

An internationalised curriculum will have four elements, all of which must be aligned:

1 Objectives or learning outcomes

An internationalised curriculum will articulate specific learning outcomes relating to the international and multi-jurisdictional context and dimensions of law.

2 Content

Knowledge

The law curriculum will include international legal content and materials that enable law students to develop and acquire the appropriate level and depth of knowledge of ‘international law’ and law with an international or comparative perspective.

Skills

The law curriculum will enable law students to develop relevant legal (‘lawyering’) skills that include cognitive (eg. analytical skills), technical (eg. research skills) and communication skills (eg. writing skills).

Attributes

The law curriculum will enable law students to develop international and intercultural perspectives and ways of thinking that prepare them as global citizens.

3 Pedagogy

Teaching/learning methods

A diverse range of teaching and learning strategies will be employed to convey international content, materials, and experiences.

Materials and resources

Students will be given access to materials and other resources from both the domestic and the relevant overseas jurisdiction/s.

Student experience

In addition to the formal curriculum, students will engage in a range of other, including overseas, activities that promote international engagement, as well as interaction with overseas students studying at the law school on exchange programs.

4 Assessment

Assessment tasks will be developed that incorporate international dimensions and specifically test the required intellectual skills at the level required for global practice.

A curriculum framework for each of the three options open to law schools – aggregation, integration and immersion, is as follows:

Aggregation Integration Immersion
Objectives or
outcomes
  • Graduates will appreciate the global context in which the law operates.
  • Graduates will be able to recognise, analyse and interpret international or cross-jurisdictional legal transactions or events.
  • Graduates will have expertise in law in more than one jurisdiction.
Knowledge
  • General knowledge of basic international and comparative content within selected specialist areas of legal knowledge.
  • Knowledge of different legal systems, international institutions and instruments.
  • Comparative knowledge of relevant law concepts and principles in areas of legal knowledge across the curriculum.
  • Advanced knowledge in areas of international and comparative perspectives in more than one jurisdiction.
Skills
  • Basic awareness of the need for cross-cultural communication.
  • Basic research skills in relation to international materials.
  • Basic analytical, interpretive and problem solving skills in the context of law concepts, principles and examples found in international and comparative settings.
  • Good written communication skills to advise persons from another jurisdiction.
  • Good research skills to research international law and law and legal issues/transactions in different jurisdictions.
  • Good analytical, interpretive and problem solving skills to resolve international legal problems involving a degree of complexity.
  • Advanced skills in cross cultural communication.
  • Advanced skills to research international legal problems in their context.
  • Advanced analytical, interpretive and problem solving skills to resolve complex international legal problems.
  • Ability to communicate in a second language, where applicable.
Attributes
  • Appreciation of cultural diversity and the contributions to the law of different cultures, values and belief systems.
  • Capacity to build relationships and adapt to different contexts to address legal issues across cultures and jurisdictions.
  • Expertise in building relationships across cultures and adapting seamlessly to diverse cultural contexts.
Teaching/learning methods
  • Introduction of basic international and comparative content and perspectives.
  • Inclusion of examples from other jurisdictions.
  • In-depth integration of international and comparative content and international perspectives in teaching.
  • Comparative consideration of materials and cases from one or more other jurisdictions.
  • Immersion in law content and perspectives in another jurisdiction.
  • Inclusion of detailed and complex case studies from several jurisdictions.
Materials  & resources
  • Availability of materials and other resources from other jurisdiction/s for the applicable subjects.
  • Availability of materials and other resources from other jurisdiction/s for all applicable subjects.
  • Access to materials and resources in the jurisdiction in which students are studying.
Student
  • Engagement with overseas students studying in the law school.
  • Engagement for those students studying overseas with international student peers.
  • Engagement with international student peers inside and outside the classroom.
  • Law school supports international student exchange or study opportunities.
  • Law school develops international networks for teaching staff and students
  • Students engaged in immersion programs experience interaction with other students in their home environment, with law teachers, and legal institutions.
Assessment
  • Assessments in specialist subjects/units include problem-solving activities incorporating international and comparative examples.
  • Assessments in all core subjects and others which have been internationalised include problem solving activities involving more than one legal jurisdiction.
  • Students engaged in immersion programs are assessed in accordance with the requirements of the overseas law school, and possibly in a foreign language.