General Course Information
1.1 Course details
| Course code: | JDOC1011 |
| Course name: | Dissertation |
| Programme offered under: | JD Programme |
| Semester: | Full year |
| Prerequisites / Co-requisites: | No |
| Credit point value: | 6 credits |
1.2 Course description
An individual research project on an approved topic carried out under the supervision of an assigned teacher, resulting in the submission of a research paper not exceeding 8,000 words (excluding tables of cases and statutes, notes, appendices and bibliographies. Footnotes or endnotes should not exceed 1,000 words.). While comparative perspectives are permitted, the topic must be primarily on common law and/or HK legal issues.
1.3 Instructions and Important Dates
It is the responsibility of each student to find a full-time member of the academic staff to act as the supervisor of their dissertation. Different faculty members have different considerations and requirements on the decision to supervise a student, but it is typically expected that the student when approaching the faculty member should have a reasonably viable research topic/proposal that falls into the research/teaching interest of the faculty member.
Instructions will be given on the principles of legal writing and in legal research methodology.
Please also pay attention to the following important dates, including dates for add-drop of the dissertation course and submission for JDOC1011 Dissertation:
| To do list and deadline | JDOC1011 Dissertation |
| Full-year course | |
| Add-drop deadline |
|
| Submit dissertation title and name of supervisor (via Moodle)
[See Note 2] |
Jan 3, 2025 |
| In-class presentations | Group 1: Feb 26 & Mar 5, 2025 (Wed) at 2:30-5:30pm & Group 2: Feb 27 & Mar 6, 2025 (Thur) at 2:30-5:30pm |
| (Optional) Making request to change the dissertation title
[See Note 2] |
Apr 4, 2025 |
| Submission of final dissertation (via Moodle) | Jul 1, 2025 |
[Note 1]
The assessment result will only be released in mid-September 2025.
[Note 2]
You should note that the dissertation title will be printed on your official transcript. You should not make any changes once declared unless with the approval from the General Office by the stipulated deadline.
Important note for non-local students:
Final year students intending to apply for a new visa / entry permit for study and/or a work / IANG visa after completing their JD programme should note that all applications to the Hong Kong Immigration Department (HKIMMD) must include appropriate proof of completion. For example, a final transcript or certificate of graduation issued by the HKU Registry. Assessment results for 2nd semester courses are normally available each year by the end of June or early July; Assessment results for June semester courses will be available only after mid-September. The HKIMMD typically takes 8-12 weeks to process visa applications, and it is recommended that non–local students should complete ALL of their curriculum requirements (including submitting a final dissertation) by end of July, at the latest, to avoid a delay in the issue of a new visa and/or a delay of graduation.
1.4 Course teachers
| Name | E-mail address | Office | Consultation | |
| Course convenor | Stefan Lo | stefanlo@hku.hk | CCT 301A | By email |
1.5 Course outline
| Please click the link here for the course outline (HKU Portal login required). |
Learning Outcomes
2.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for this course
CLO 1 be able to identify, and engage in, good legal scholarship;
CLO 2 have developed advanced skills in legal research;
CLO 3 have refined their legal writing skills; and
CLO 4 demonstrate their ability to combine advanced legal research skills with the ability to write clearly in order to produce a sophisticated piece of legal scholarship.
2.2 JD Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Please refer to the following link: https://course.law.hku.hk/jd-plo/
2.3 Programme Learning Outcomes to be achieved in this course
| PLO A | PLO B | PLO C | PLO D | PLO E | PLO F | |
| CLO 1 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 3 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 4 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Assessment(s)
3.1 Assessment Summary
| Assessment task | Weighting | Feedback method* | Course learning outcomes |
| Classwork | 10% | 2, 3, 5 | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Dissertation | 90% | 2, 3 | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| *Feedback method (to be determined by course teacher) | |
| 1 | A general course report to be disseminated through Moodle |
| 2 | Individual feedback to be disseminated by email / through Moodle |
| 3 | Individual review meeting upon appointment |
| 4 | Group review meeting |
| 5 | In-class verbal feedback |
3.2 Assessment Detail
To be advised by course convenor(s). See also Course Outline above.
3.3 Grading Criteria
Please refer to the following link: https://www.law.hku.hk/_files/law_programme_grade_descriptors.pdf
Learning Activities
4.1 Learning Activity Plan
| Seminar | 1 meeting in Semester 1 and 2 meetings in Semester 2 |
| Private study time: | 9.5 hour(s) / week for 12 teaching weeks in each of Semesters 1 and 2 |
Remarks: the normative student study load per credit unit is 25 ± 5 hours (ie. 150 ± 30 hours for a 6-credit course), which includes all learning activities and experiences within and outside of classroom, and any assessment task and examinations and associated preparations.
4.2 Details of Learning Activities
To be advised by course convenor(s).
Learning Resources
5.1 Resources
| Reading materials: | The reading guide and selected reading materials will be posted on Moodle |
| Core reading list: | TBA |
| Recommended reading list: | TBA |
The Graduate School has a number of publications which you may find useful during the preparation phase:
5.2 Links
Please refer to the following link: http://www.law.hku.hk/course/learning-resources/