Stellar international line-up delivers law intensive units online despite bushfires & COVID-19

The 2019/2020 Summer and Winter School continued the tradition of offering cutting-edge and relevant units that allow students to develop the skills needed to stand out in an increasingly competitive world.

In what was the School of Law and Justice’s (SLJ) second Winter Intensive program, students were treated to a suite of socially-poignant and intellectually-stimulating subjects at the Gold Coast campus in July 2019. Capturing the interest of local and cross-institutional students, was the fascinating unit, Crimen Exceptum: The English Witch Prosecutions in Context, ably presented by Adjunct Associate Professor Gregory Durston from Kingston University, London. Dr Allison Fish from UQ presented Wisdom Traditional Knowledge and Intellectual Property. Last, but certainly not least, our very own Dean of Law and Head of School Professor William MacNeil, encouraged students to investigate the ways in which images of law in popular culture depict, distort and critique the legal process in Legal Fictions – during the Writing the Law unit.

The first round of the 2019 Summer Law School units commenced in December at the Gold Coast with some very popular practical units. A mix of SCU students, cross-institutional students, police officers, scientists and other industry professionals formed the student cohort who enjoyed:

• Public Interest Advocacy delivered by Aidan Ricketts (SLJ)

• DNA and the Law presented by Dr Paula Hallam (SLJ)

• International Business Negotiations delivered by Jay Finkelstein (partner at DLA Piper LLP (US) with adjunct faculty positions at Stanford, Berkeley, and Georgetown Law Schools)

• Mooting presented by Dr Paula Hallam (SLJ).

The Study Period 1 Summer Law School was interrupted by the devastating fires and while two units had to be postponed, Dr Daniela Carpi agreed to move her unit online and delivered The Legalities of Artificial Intelligence from her office at the University of Verona, Italy. Little did we know at the time, this form of unit delivery would become the norm just several months later with COVID-19 seeing the move of all teaching at SCU online.

We were fortunate to once again have Dr Renata Salecl join us from Slovenia to deliver one of students’ favourite subjects, Psychiatry, Psychology and the Law. Finally, Cormac Cullinan, practising environmental attorney and author, joined us from Cape Town, South Africa to deliver Ecological Jurisprudence.

Due to COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions, the 2020 Winter Law School program was shifted to online with international experts delivering via various platforms from around the world.

Scott Nowland (police detective), Sophie Anderson (Barrister), Emma Pearce (Journalist), David AshtonLewis (former Supreme Court Judge), Ange Williams (SCU Student and forensic physician), and moderater Paula Hallam (forensic scientist), at The DNA panel during 2019 Summer Law School.

Associate Professor Pornchai Wisuttisak, presented International Trade and development Law from his office at Chiang Mai University, Thailand. In the same week, Dr Valentina Adami, from the University of Verona, Italy and SLJ Professor Nicole Rogers came together virtually to co-present Myths for the Future: Law and Climate Fiction in the 21st Century.

Dr Merran Lawlar, Kaiarahi & National Advocate of Te Kupenga Whakaoti Mahi Patunga/National Network of Family Violence Services in Aotearoa/ New Zealand treated students to an exploration of the discursive conventions of law in The Rhetoric of Law. And, Dean and Professor of Law at Shanghai Jiao Tong University Law School, Professor Shen Wei delivered Introduction to Chinese Business Law.

Enrolments have already commenced into the upcoming 2020 Summer Law School, which will give students the opportunity to delve into some fascinating topics including:

• The Art of Advocacy: Mooting and Performance Rhetoric delivered by Professor Gary Watt from University of Warwick UK

• International Business Negotiations presented by Jay Finkelstein

• Justice Framed: Law in Films and Graphic Novels – presented by Associate Professor Chiara Battisti University of Verona, Italy.

The Session 3 Summer Law School will be followed by the Study Period 1 round of Summer intensives in January 2021. This program promises to offer students a variety of practical and thought-provoking theoretical topics. Professor Salecl will deliver Psychiatry, Psychology and the Law online from Slovenia. Performances and Power in Literature and Law will be presented online by Associate Professor Sidia Fiorato, from the University of Verona, Italy and Professor Raffaele Cutolo, also from the University of Verona, will present Shifting Cultural Paradigms: Law and Literature After Postmodernism.

Two practical units will be added to the suite with Lee Aitken, set to deliver Troubling Transactions in Private Law and Dr Jeff Thompson to teach us about Resilience in Conflict.

Story by Kim King and Helen Walsh.

For further information on the Intensive Units, or to enrol, visit scu.edu.au/law