General Course Information
1.1 Course details
| Course code: | LLAW2003 & LLAW2004 |
| Course name: | Criminal Law I & II |
| Programme offered under: | LLB Programme |
| Semester: | Full Year |
| Designated research course: | Not applicable |
| Specialization: | Not applicable |
| Prerequisites / Co-requisites: | No |
| Course offered to non-law students: | No |
| Credit point value: | 6 credits + 6 credits |
1.2 Course description
Criminal Law I introduces students to the principles of Hong Kong criminal law and liability. Topics include the nature and classification of crime, elements of criminal procedure in Hong Kong, the burden of proof and the impact of constitutional human rights, and the general principles of criminal responsibility. Offences considered will include homicide, non-fatal offences against the person, criminal damage and theft.
Criminal Law II examines further aspects of criminal law and liability in Hong Kong, including criminal defences, participation and inchoate liability. It will examine the application of the general principles of criminal responsibility in selected criminal offence areas, including homicide, assaults, sexual offences, and theft and deception. Where possible, students will be encouraged to consider alternative approaches to the principles of liability, and to develop social policy analysis skills.
1.3 Course teachers
| Name | E-mail address | Office | Consultation | |
| Course convenor / tutor (first and second semester) | Michael Jackson | mjackson@hku.hk | CCT 807 | By email |
| Course tutor (first semester) | Michael Hor | mhor@hku.hk | CCT 711 | By email |
| Course tutor (first and second semester) | Isabella Liu | bellalwt@hku.hk | CCT 514 | By email |
| Course tutor (first and second semester) | David Kwok | davkwok@hku.hk | CCT 804 | By email |
Learning Outcomes
2.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for this course
CLO 1 Be familiar with and able to apply the basic principles of Hong Kong criminal law, including in particular:
(a) the sources of criminal law in HK, with special emphasis on statutory sources and statutory interpretation;
(b) the various ways in which criminal liability is typically constructed using the concepts of actus reus, mens rea, inchoate liability, secondary party liability, the presumption of mens rea and strict liability;
(c) the various ways in which criminal liability is typically restricted or diminished using the concepts of self defence, crime prevention, duress, consent, insanity, and other defences;
(d) the relationship of the Basic Law and HK Bill of Rights to, and their impact on, the criminal law in HK;
(e) the basic features of Hong Kong’s criminal justice system and criminal procedure;
(f) the importance of criminal procedure and the law of evidence in the development of the criminal law.
CLO 2 Be able to clearly explain and competently apply the elements of the following common criminal offences: murder, manslaughter, assault/battery, various aggravated assaults, rape, indecent assault, criminal damage and arson, theft, deception offences – and perhaps others.
CLO 3 Be skilled in reading unfamiliar statutory provisions purporting to create criminal offences and then accurately breaking those offences down into their constituent elements, making appropriate use of the basic principles noted above.
CLO 4 Be skilled in reading criminal cases, and, in particular, in soundly identifying the relevant issues, the arguments of counsel and the judge, the decision and the effect of the case upon other criminal law doctrine, and, where necessary, be able both to critically assess the reasoning and conclusion in any given case and also articulate alternative lines of analysis in response to those criticisms.
CLO 5 Be skilled in analyzing a set of given facts, identifying possible offences committed, and constructing and articulating a rational and convincing argument for guilt or innocence in accordance with the basic principles and substantive criminal law knowledge noted above, both orally and in writing in English.
CLO 6 May have participated in a group presentation, involving working with others to research and prepare, and then present in class, an English language presentation about a specific criminal law topic or case, using MS Powerpoint or other appropriate aids.
CLO 7 Be skilled in searching Hong Kong and English primary and secondary materials relevant to the resolution of criminal law problems, and be familiar with searching for such materials in cognate jurisdictions (such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand).
CLO 8 Be competent in thinking critically and reflectively about how the criminal law is administered in the context of Hong Kong’s criminal justice system.
2.2 LLB Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Please refer to the following link: https://course.law.hku.hk/llb-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 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 5 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 6 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 7 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 8 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Assessment(s)
3.1 Assessment Summary
| Assessment task | Due date | Weighting | Feedback method* | Course learning outcomes |
| End of semester Test (first semester) | TBC | 35% | 1, 2 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Magistrate’s court report (first semester) | TBC | 15% | 2 | 1, 8 |
| Final in-hall exam (second semester) | TBC | 50% | 1, 2 | 1, 7, 8 |
| *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).
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
| Lecture: | 2 hours / week for 12 teaching weeks |
| Tutorial: | 1 hour / week for 12 teaching weeks |
| Private study time: | 9.5 hours / week for 12 teaching weeks |
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: | Duplicated materials are posted on Moodle |
| Core reading list: | TBA |
| Recommended reading list: | TBA |
5.2 Links
Please refer to the following link: http://www.law.hku.hk/course/learning-resources/