General Course Information
1.1 Course details
| Course code: | LLAW6258 |
| Course name: | Private law in common law jurisdictions |
| Programme offered under: | LLM Programme |
| Semester: | Second |
| Prerequisites / Co-requisites: | No |
| Credit point value: | 9 credits |
1.2 Course description
This course provides an introduction to basic concepts and principles of private law under the common law. The first part of the course looks at the meaning of private law, the different areas of private law and how they relate to each other, as well as the sources of private law. The bulk of the course then examines particular areas of private law which protect various private interests of persons. The areas of law covered include aspects of contract, unjust enrichment, tort and personal property law. These topics are explored through an examination of legal doctrine as well as through the prism of theory and the jurisprudential foundations of private law.
1.3 Course teachers
| Name | E-mail address | Office | Consultation | |
| Course convenor | Stefan Lo | stefanlo@hku.hk | CCT 301A | By email |
Learning Outcomes
2.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for this course
CLO 1 Describe and explain basic concepts, rules and terminology in certain areas of private law, namely contracts, unjust enrichment, tort, and personal property.
CLO 2 Develop the skill of resolving disputes by the application of private law principles and rules in novel situations and problems.
CLO 3 Develop an appreciation of the nature of the common law method and to be able to apply legal reasoning and marshall arguments clearly, logically, coherently and effectively in the context of private law.
CLO 4 Develop and apply skills in researching on and critically analyzing rules and doctrines of private law in their social context.
CLO 5 Critically examine the theories and jurisprudential foundations of private law in the broader social, historical, economic political and cultural contexts in which they situate.
2.2 LLM Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Please refer to the following link: https://course.law.hku.hk/llm-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 |
| Classwork | TBC | 10% | 5 | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Research assignment | 17 Apr 2025 | 40% | 1, 2, 3 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| In-hall exam | TBC | 50% | 1, 3 | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| *Feedback method (to be determined by course teacher) | |
| 1 | A general course report to be disseminated by email / 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: | 3 hours / week for 11 teaching weeks |
| Private study time: | 9.5 hours / week for 11 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: | The reading guide and selected reading materials will be 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/