Course

White-Collar Crime - JURD7594

Faculty: Faculty of Law

School: Faculty of Law

Course Outline: See below

Campus: Sydney

Career: Postgraduate

Units of Credit: 6

EFTSL: 0.12500 (more info)

Indicative Contact Hours per Week: 2

Enrolment Requirements:

Pre-requisite: 36 UOC of JURD courses for students enrolled prior to 2013. For students enrolled after 2013, pre-requisite: 72 UOC of JURD courses.

Excluded: JURD7378, LAWS3478, LAWS8994

CSS Contribution Charge: 3 (more info)

Tuition Fee: See Tuition Fee Schedule

Further Information: See Class Timetable

View course information for previous years.

Description

This course examines white collar crime through the perspective of fraud in business. The major fraud offences are analysed, from both perspective of legal analysis and also from broader criminological and sociological perspectives.
Topics include the landscape of fraud in Australia, the legal interpretations of fraud and forgery offences, offender motivations, and the investigation and prevention of fraud.


Main Topics

  • The major forms of white collar crime in Australia
  • Motivations for committing fraud
  • The appropriate role of the criminal law in controlling fraudulent behaviour
  • Legal definitions of fraud and dishonesty
  • Differences between fraud, forgery and general dishonesty offences
  • The broad nature of defrauding offences and impact on corporate structures
  • Methods of fraud prevention
  • Forensic accounting practice and fraud detection

Course Learning Outcomes

  • Understand the main legal concepts and principles of selected white collar crime laws in NSW and other Australian jurisdictions
  • Identify and apply the appropriate offence to prohibited conduct.
  • Appreciate the complexity of the social and political history in which these offences have developed and current issues with their scope and enforcement
  • Engage with policy debates on law reform in this area
  • Complete an independent research essay on a topic related to white collar crime

Course Aims

  • To analyse the elements of selected white collar crimes - in particular those not discussed in general criminal courses - and to compare these with offences in other Australian jurisdictions and internationally
  • To consider the factors that contribute to the forms and prevalence of white collar crime and fraud from historical, industry, social and psychological perspectives
  • To develop students abilities to engage critically with scholarly and professional writings on white collar crime and fraud, and to be able to analyse and synthesise this knowledge in discussions with other students and in written work.
  • To develop the ability to communicate in a way that respects the opinions of others and encourages the development of dialogue with others of differing opinions

Assessment

 
Class participation Preparation and engagement in class 25%
Reflective Noes
10%
Topic outline and literature review 500 words 5%
Research essay
6,000 words
60%
 

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