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Identify any issue discussed in this
unit concerning the interplay between Australian laws and children or older people.
Write your own essay question about this issue, then answer this question by
writing a 2,500 word research paper critically examining this
issue.  
Further instructions
Drawing
on the learning throughout the course each student will select a topic they
want to research and write about (feel free to ask the convenor about your
topic choice and seek advice about this). Each student will then write their
own essay question about this topic and then apply their research skills and
produce a research paper of no more than 2,500 words. 
This
assessment is an independent research paper and will give students the
opportunity to draw on key elements of child and/or elder law explored during
the course.
This
is a research essay. You are required to develop a thesis (an argument).
You must conduct your own research beyond the course readings and engage with
high quality scholarly sources (e.g. access research in journal articles/books).
Students
must:
Choose
a different
topic from the one chosen for the Law Reform Campaign assessment.
Draw
on one
key legal issue discussed in this unit. This must be either child or
elder law, but not both. The research topic must be associated with a topic in
this unit – you cannot write about a topic that is not covered in this unit.
Critically
discuss and integrate relevant international human rights law. 
Critical
examination of a legal issue should involve making recommendations about how to
address the issue.
Avoid
lengthy description. It is the depth of your research and the ensuing analysis
that is important. Keep description to a minimum. Use your words to present
compelling arguments and an analysis of the legal issue you are writing about. 
If
you are writing about topics relating to Indigenous peoples make sure you
reference Indigenous scholars in your paper (see Leganto list for some
suggested Indigenous legal scholars) and use appropriate language (see Aboriginal Cultural
Protocols document referenced in the lectures).
FORMAT
Essays must be submitted in a word document and be double-line
spaced text using 12 point font (use Times New Roman). Essays are to be no
longer than 2,500 words (this word count does not include the footnotes and
bibliography). This is a strict requirement and any content (other
than the footnotes and bibliography) over 2,500 words will not be marked.
Exceeding the word limit will mean the last portion of excess words will not be
marked and this could mean that all or part of the conclusion is not marked (if
this occurs this will significantly and negatively impact student’s marks.)
Footnotes should only be used for references, with no further
discussion. A bibliography must be provided. Submissions must
be a word document. This paper is to be submitted via the appropriate
Turnitin link on the iLearn page.
The essay must comply with the Australian
Guide to Legal Citation (4 ed). The Guide is available here: https://law.unimelb.edu.au/mulr/aglc
This is really important – for the
BIBLIOGRAPHY for your essay you can only include what you cite in the text. This means you cant include in the
bibliography anything you have read but NOT cited. 
This is a super super strict requirement because when we mark
the first thing we do is go to the bibliography to see what you have used in
the essay – if there are discrepancies between what is used in the essay and
what is in the bibliography that will be a big problem. So make sure you don’t
cite anything in the bibliography that you haven’t used in the text. 
Remember you don’t have to quote a line from a source to use it
in your essay – you can use ideas without quotes thus, include it in the
bibliography (so long as it appears in a footnote in the essay). 
SUBMISSION
Via the correct Turnitin link on this iLearn page. Resubmissions
are permitted up until the deadline but not after the deadline. The paper that is submitted is the paper
that will be marked. That means that if a draft is uploaded the draft will be
marked. It is the responsibility of the student to upload the correct document.
This is a non-negotiable rule in this unit and will apply equally to all
students. 
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
1.       Demonstrate awareness and understanding of the
legal issues affecting children or older people in various contexts.
2.       Identify the elements of a rights-based approach
to legal issues that affect children or older people.
3.       Engage in critical analysis of the way in which
laws impact on children or older people.
4.       Evaluate the role of law reform in key areas
affecting children or older people.
5.       (if relevant to the essay topic) Demonstrate
awareness and understanding of the way law impacts on diverse communities of
children or older people, especially (if relevant to the topic), Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander peoples.