General Course Information
1.1 Course details
| Course code: | LLAW3128 / LALS3001 |
| Course name: | Law and Literature |
| Programme offered under: | LLB Programme / BA&LLB Programme |
| Semester: | Second |
| Designated research course: | Not applicable |
| Specialization: | Not applicable |
| Prerequisite: | A previous course in legal and/or literary subject |
| Course offered to non-law students: | No |
| Credit point value: | 6 credits |
| Cap on student numbers: | 40 (priority to BA-LLB students) |
1.2 Course description
This course explores the complex interactions between literature and the law. Even though the two disciplines may seem distinct, both law and literature are products of language and have overlapped in significant and interesting ways in history. Why do legal themes recur in fiction, and what kinds of literary structures underpin legal argumentation? How do novelists and playwrights imagine the law, and how do lawyers and judges interpret literary works? Could literature have legal subtexts, and could legal documents be re-interpreted as literary texts? We will think through these questions by juxtaposing novels, plays, court cases, and critical theory.
1.3 Course teachers
| Name | E-mail address | Office | Consultation | |
| Course convenor | Marco Wan | mwan@hku.hk | CCT 616 | By email |
Learning Outcomes
2.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for this course
CLO 1 Describe the aims and historical trajectories of ‘law and literature’ as an intellectual movement.
CLO 2 Critically examine different approaches to bringing ‘literature’ and ‘law’ into dialogue with each other.
CLO 3 Apply techniques of close reading to both legal and literary texts
CLO 4 Assess the benefits and pitfalls of interdisciplinary analysis.
CLO 5 Think critically about the purpose and methods of legal scholarship.
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 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Assessment(s)
3.1 Assessment Summary
| Assessment task | Due date | Weighting | Feedback method* | Course learning outcomes |
| Class participation | N/A | 15% | 1, 2, 3, 4 | |
| Class presentation | TBC | 15% | 1, 2, 3, 4 | |
| Mid-term essay | 17 Mar 2023 | 25% | 1, 2, 3, 4 | |
| Take home essay | 19 May 2023 | 45% | 1 | 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).
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: | 3 hours / 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: | Reading 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/