Bachelor of Laws
Law, Military Science and Security - Justice in Society
Purpose and Rationale
Purpose:
The purpose of the Bachelor of Laws is to provide a well-rounded education that equips learners with the knowledge base, theory, and methodologies of the legal discipline and enables them to demonstrate initiative and responsibility in an academic and professional context.
The purpose of the qualification is to offer a broad education that develops gainfully employable qualifying learners with:
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Knowledge and appreciation of the values and principles enshrined in the constitution.
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Critical understanding of theories, concepts, principles, ethics, perspectives, methodologies, and procedures of the discipline of law.
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The capacity to be accountable and take responsibility in academic, professional, and relevant societal contexts.
The qualification emphasises general principles and theory and will provide learners with a thorough grounding in the knowledge, theory, principles, attitudes, and skills required in the legal profession.
Upon completion of this qualification, qualifying learners will be able to:
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Demonstrate substantive legal knowledge, analytic methodologies, practical skills, moral commitment, and the necessary temperament to achieve excellence in professional and civic endeavors.
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Think analytically, solve problems, display emotional intelligence, act ethically, and operate successfully in a continually changing global setting.
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Understand and contribute towards the development of cultural values and transform the legal profession as diverse graduates with high-quality educational experiences and credentials for the administration of justice and the state.
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Contribute towards sound knowledge and understanding in basic areas of law, research, and the dynamic nature of law and its relationship to various contexts.
Rationale:
The qualification aims to prepare qualifying learners for legal practice, other law-related careers, and postgraduate studies in law. It is the sole recognized qualification for legal practice in South Africa, meeting the requirements set forth by the Legal Practice Act.
The qualification aligns with the institution's strategic goal of increasing diverse learner group participation in high-quality educational experiences. Legal education is vital for ensuring economic and social justice and upholding constitutional rights.
Qualifying learners will contribute to creating new knowledge in legal education and research, potentially transforming the judicial sector and contributing to the rule of law.
Upon completion of this qualification, learners can pursue various careers in the legal field, benefiting society by upholding rights, maintaining justice, and contributing to economic stability.
Outcomes
- Demonstrate knowledge and engage at all levels of legal practice in all areas of law required for the practice of law and understand the theories, research methodologies, methods, and techniques relevant to the field of law, and its various procedural disciplines.
- Demonstrate the ability to interrogate multiple sources of knowledge in their chosen area of specialisation in law whether it is criminal, commercial, civil, or other areas of law and evaluate legal knowledge and processes of knowledge production such as the courts, case law and the enactment of legislation.
- Communicate and present academic, professional, or occupational ideas and texts effectively to a range of audiences, offering creative insights, rigorous interpretations and solutions to problems and issues appropriate to the context.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the complexities and uncertainties of selecting, applying or transferring appropriate standard procedures, processes to unfamiliar problems in a specialised field of law.
- Demonstrate the ability to use a range of specialised skills to identify, analyse and address complex or abstract problems drawing systematically on the body of knowledge and methods appropriate to the field, discipline or practice of law.
- Demonstrate the ability to identify and address ethical issues based on critical reflection on the suitability of ethical values systems to the specific context of the legal profession.
- Demonstrate the ability to critically review information gathering, synthesis of data, evaluation, and management processes in specialised contexts to develop creative responses to problems and issues.
- Demonstrate the ability to operate effectively within a system, or manage a system based on an understanding of the roles and relationships between elements within the system.
- Apply relevant strategies that effectively address the professional and ongoing learning needs of others.
- Take full responsibility for his or her work, decision-making and use of resources, and full accountability for the decisions and actions of others where appropriate.
Assessment Criteria
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1:
- Examine the South African legal system, its values and historical background.
- Apply law in its social context with the knowledge of a discipline other than law.
- Engage and apply specialised knowledge in one or more areas of the law.
- Understand and practice clinical legal education in a social setting.
- Perform numeracy and accountancy tasks related to the fields of law.
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2:
- Determine the relative authority of relevant information sources.
- Read, interpret and summarise information sources.
- Critically evaluate information and evidence from a legal perspective.
- Present and make a reasoned choice between alternative solutions.
- Use techniques of legal reasoning, methodology, and argumentation to reach a plausible conclusion.
- Use appropriate referencing style guidelines.
- Demonstrate academic integrity in research.
- Select the most relevant sources and research methods likely to help solve legal problems.
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3:
- Communicate effectively by choosing appropriate means of communication for a variety of contexts.
- Communicate clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing, in a wide range of legal contexts to varied audiences.
- Develop logically constructed, well-justified, and coherent arguments.
- Apply communication skills to situations relevant to professional practice.
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4:
- Analyse a text or scenario to find the key issues.
- Distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information and between legal and nonlegal issues.
- Address the issues presented in a text or scenario and generate appropriate responses to the legal issues.
- Make critical and logical judgments on the merits of arguments and present reasoned choices between alternative solutions.
- Engage with diverse audiences.
- Construct creative and innovative responses appropriate to legal problems.
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5:
- Function effectively in independent and collaborative settings.
- Make meaningful contributions to work efforts in a group context, including problem-solving.
- Address a particular aspect of a problem or project and integrate your efforts into a collaborative effort.
- Critically reflect on and assess your own work and critique the work of others in a constructive manner.
- Identify, define, and critically analyse the relevant issues in legal problems.
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6:
- Apply ethical requirements and regulations in problem-solving.
- Access information efficiently and effectively.
- Use technology as a tool to research, organize, evaluate, and communicate information.
- Show familiarity with legal discourse, conventions, terminology, and the ability to use them appropriately.
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 7:
- Find, select, organize, use, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate a variety of relevant information sources.
- Recognize and apply social justice imperatives in the legal system.
- Analyse, evaluate, and solve legal problems.
- Respond to the professional responsibilities of the legal practitioner in service to the community.
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 8:
- Understand the constitutional values and the basis of South African law and the legal system.
- Apply knowledge in different fields of law and develop an understanding of how legal principles operate in practice.
- Manage a complex workload diligently, reliably, and timely.
- Engage with civic issues and systems.
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 9:
- Use legal research tools to gather information to analyze legal issues.
- Analyze client concerns and translate them into responsive legal arguments and strategies.
- Identify and understand the career and managerial skills needed for a successful law practice.
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 10:
- Gather and synthesize facts underlying events or sequences of events.
- Comprehend the implications of accountability for finances in practice.
Qualification Details
- Type
- National First Degree(Min 480)
- NQF Level
- 08
- Min. Credits
- 480
- SAQA Source
- More Information
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This page includes information from the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) . Builtneat Pty Ltd trading as Study Start, has modified all or some of this information. SAQA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.