Learning and teaching methods at Sydney Law School

During the course of the Juris Doctor (JD) at Sydney Law School, students will experience three primary learning and teaching methods:

1. Lecture and tutorial teaching
2. Seminar-style teaching
3. Self‑directed learning

Lecture and Tutorial Model
During lectures, students will receive complex information within a large class setting. This method makes it possible for the unit coordinator to arrange for them to hear experts such as practitioners and international scholars during special guest lectures.
During tutorials, students will be able synthesise the information from readings and lectures, discuss the application of legal principles with peers and tutor, and apply legal knowledge to problem questions and case studies.
Seminar-style Teaching
Seminar-style teaching allows the Sydney JD student to discuss issues in small and large groups, with input and information from the teacher. Although seminar classes are generally larger than tutorials, students are given greater scope for interaction and deeper engagement with the subject matter, than in a large lecture.
Self-directed Learning
Students will experience self‑directed learning through online quizzes, problem questions, additional readings, and discussion boards, which complement in‑class learning. E‑Learning is used extensively, which provides the student with resources to assist his or her understanding of the subject matter and provides opportunities to undertake further self‑directed learning.
Teaching Principles
The Sydney Juris Doctor will support development of a scholarly attitude toward knowledge, and enhance skills in critique, inquiry and synthesis. As a Sydney JD student, you will have the capacity to

• articulate a synthesis of legal principles emerging through a series of cases;
• encapsulate the critical principles that emerge from complex legislation;
• inquire into and develop a perspective on the context in which law operates, or on the implications of law reform in particular sectors or issues in society; and
• evaluate the merits and shortcomings of law (as found in cases, legislation, international legal instruments, tribunal decisions and other sources), while making the basis of this evaluation transparent.

Students will be expected to articulate law in terms of the values it embodies and its social impact, both at a national and international level.
Sydney JD students will develop an appreciation that law is a social construct that is capable of achieving both good and bad, in moral terms, and that law is capable of privileging particular philosophical and political positions. Furthermore, students will develop a perspective that encompasses concerns at the local, national and global level.