About the text

The approach taken when writing this text has been to provide a resource that can engage and stimulate students of VCE Legal Studies as well as make the job of teaching the course relatively straightforward. We have written each chapter to closely reflect the requirements of the VCE Legal Studies Unit 1 and 2 course as outlined in the VCAA VCE Legal Studies Study Design (2018-2022). The text is packed with colourful exercises, case studies, review questions and crosswords that are supported by a stand-alone website (www.legalgroundup.com.au) dedicated solely to users of the text.

It has been our goal as both teachers and textbook writers to provide a range of varied and engaging activities for students. It is not our expectation that teachers would use all of the activities (or even all of the sections) in each chapter. Some sections contain multiple examples from each key knowledge or key skill area of the Study Design. We hope that by including a broad array of activities this book will promote the enjoyment of studying VCE Legal Studies to students of all abilities, all interest areas and many different geographic locations. We encourage teachers to construct their course with attention to the required key knowledge and skills content of the subject, along with the interests of their students.

In some respects, the structure of the text enables it to be used as a series of ‘lesson plans’, and the compact layout facilitates ‘self-paced learning’. Students can be directed to work through a section of the text, completing the Review Questions at the end of each section and attempting some or all of the Application Exercises/CaseStudies that are specifically designed for applied learning. This approach helps students to develop the key knowledge and skills for each of the six areas of study.

We hope that the content in this textbook will enhance both student and teacher enjoyment of this stimulating and relevant subject.