Course description
The course is designed to help law students to write in clear and correct manner to enable them to write contracts. As the basic requirement of mastering accurate writing in legal English becomes inevitable for lawyers, this 12 units course of blended learning will be an effective subject to enhance you as professional and knowledgeable lawyer with key written communicative skills.
Desired outcomes
With the completion of this program students are expected to:
1. Familiarize with the different contracts commonly used in the law field
2. Write contracts in a correct manner in terms of legal and writing issues.
3. Identify the scope and purpose of each contract
4. Discuss argumentatively and defend their written contracts based on law.
Course outline
· Introduction to the most used contracts
· Writing practice of short contracts
· Contract Drafting practice
· General Document drafting practice
· Analysis of the structure and style of contract drafting
· Grammar Practice
· Peer coach writing exercises
· Writing exercises to looking for accuracy
· the practical language of contract formation
· Specific legal vocabulary for contracts.
· Certification of completion of the requirements
Course Contents
1. The most used contracts in the field of law. (online reading)
2. Structure and composition of short contracts. (online reading and posting the composition on the Blackboard)
3. The correct forms of shorts contracts and analysis of a real example of a short contract. (Online discussion).
4. Writing composition of a contract based on its legal parameters. (online reading and synchronized session with the tutor)
5. Types of contracts and its purposes (online reading and post which type you prefer and why).
6. Writing of a contract based on the type selected. (post it on the Blackboard)
7. Refinement and precision of a contract in terms of semantic and syntactic. (online reading and synchronized session with the tutor)
8. Presentation of the written contract. (face to face session)
9. Argumentative writing legal texts. (online)
10. Formal language to use, no slangs, idioms. (online)
11. Real cases and practical exercises of contracts. (online)
12. Composition of a contract. (post it on the Blackboard for an online discussion)
Materials
Duration
The course is delivered over 12 weeks. There will be one face to face session by the eighth week. Two synchronized sessions via Blackboard Platform and it is expected that students have access to internet and microphone & earphone. The rest of the activities will be online for the completion.
International Students with English Difficulties
It is important to note that not all International Students have English difficulties therefore before the 1st lecture, all students must sit an online English (focusing on bsic legal application) competency test (available on LMS). Students who fail this test will be privately notified and given extra assistance through the LMS. Video tutorials, on basic legal english will be made available to them as well as links to external websites that will help them with their writing. They will have to submit their Blackboard posts a day earlier so that their work can be marked for grammar before being peer reviewed,this is to ensure that all good ideas are able to be communicated and shared. They will also be advised to seek advice and support from the appropriate body within the University. Assistance to those with English difficulties will not be given overtly during the course as it will detract from the main subject content and disadvantage the majority who have no English language difficulty. This is also an additional why a blended mode of learning and teaching is required for this course.
References
Legal Writing Course. (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2015, from http://british-legal-centre.com/en/courses/Legal-Writing-Course.html
The course is designed to help law students to write in clear and correct manner to enable them to write contracts. As the basic requirement of mastering accurate writing in legal English becomes inevitable for lawyers, this 12 units course of blended learning will be an effective subject to enhance you as professional and knowledgeable lawyer with key written communicative skills.
Desired outcomes
With the completion of this program students are expected to:
1. Familiarize with the different contracts commonly used in the law field
2. Write contracts in a correct manner in terms of legal and writing issues.
3. Identify the scope and purpose of each contract
4. Discuss argumentatively and defend their written contracts based on law.
Course outline
· Introduction to the most used contracts
· Writing practice of short contracts
· Contract Drafting practice
· General Document drafting practice
· Analysis of the structure and style of contract drafting
· Grammar Practice
· Peer coach writing exercises
· Writing exercises to looking for accuracy
· the practical language of contract formation
· Specific legal vocabulary for contracts.
· Certification of completion of the requirements
Course Contents
1. The most used contracts in the field of law. (online reading)
2. Structure and composition of short contracts. (online reading and posting the composition on the Blackboard)
3. The correct forms of shorts contracts and analysis of a real example of a short contract. (Online discussion).
4. Writing composition of a contract based on its legal parameters. (online reading and synchronized session with the tutor)
5. Types of contracts and its purposes (online reading and post which type you prefer and why).
6. Writing of a contract based on the type selected. (post it on the Blackboard)
7. Refinement and precision of a contract in terms of semantic and syntactic. (online reading and synchronized session with the tutor)
8. Presentation of the written contract. (face to face session)
9. Argumentative writing legal texts. (online)
10. Formal language to use, no slangs, idioms. (online)
11. Real cases and practical exercises of contracts. (online)
12. Composition of a contract. (post it on the Blackboard for an online discussion)
Materials
- On-line journal articles and textbooks
- On-line tasks and exercises
- On-line glossary of the accurate vocabulary and most used phrases
Duration
The course is delivered over 12 weeks. There will be one face to face session by the eighth week. Two synchronized sessions via Blackboard Platform and it is expected that students have access to internet and microphone & earphone. The rest of the activities will be online for the completion.
International Students with English Difficulties
It is important to note that not all International Students have English difficulties therefore before the 1st lecture, all students must sit an online English (focusing on bsic legal application) competency test (available on LMS). Students who fail this test will be privately notified and given extra assistance through the LMS. Video tutorials, on basic legal english will be made available to them as well as links to external websites that will help them with their writing. They will have to submit their Blackboard posts a day earlier so that their work can be marked for grammar before being peer reviewed,this is to ensure that all good ideas are able to be communicated and shared. They will also be advised to seek advice and support from the appropriate body within the University. Assistance to those with English difficulties will not be given overtly during the course as it will detract from the main subject content and disadvantage the majority who have no English language difficulty. This is also an additional why a blended mode of learning and teaching is required for this course.
References
Legal Writing Course. (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2015, from http://british-legal-centre.com/en/courses/Legal-Writing-Course.html