LLAW3142

General Course Information

1.1 Course details

Course code: LLAW3142
Course name: Law and Politics of Constitutions
Programme offered under: LLB Programme
Semester: Second
Designated research course: Yes
Specialization: Not applicable
Prerequisites / Co-requisites: No
Course offered to non-law students: No
Credit point value: 6 credits
Cap on student numbers: 30

1.2 Course description

Almost every modern state has a written constitution.  A constitution is not only a legal document; it is also political instrument.  For what purpose was the constitution framed; for what functions it serves; and how it is interpreted by judges would routinely depend on the interaction between law and politics.

This course adopts an interdisciplinary and comparative approach to analyze the interaction between law and politics in Asia.  We will examine communist regimes (China, Vietnam); dominant party democracies (HKSAR, Singapore), and liberal democracies (Taiwan, South Korea), and explore how the regime-type of the political system affects judicial behaviour and the jurisdiction’s commitment to human rights.

1.3 Course teachers

Name E-mail address Office Consultation
Course convenor Po Jen Yap pjyap@hku.hk CCT 510 By email

Learning Outcomes

2.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for this course

CLO 1 Describe and explain the political systems in China, Vietnam, HKSAR, Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea.

CLO 2 Critically examine how the political system affects judicial behaviour and the enforcement of human rights.

CLO 3 Apply and demonstrate one’s understanding of the interaction of law and politics to other regime types in Asia and the world.

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

Assessment(s)

3.1 Assessment Summary

Assessment task Due date Weighting Feedback method* Course learning outcomes
Class presentation TBC 25% 1, 3, 5 1, 2, 3
Research paper TBC 75% 1, 3, 5 1, 2, 3
*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/