General Course Information
1.1 Course details
| Course code: | LLAW6308 / JDOC6308 |
| Course name: | Law and Society in China |
| Programme offered under: | LLM Programme / JD Programme |
| Semester: | Second |
| Prerequisites / Co-requisites: | No |
| Credit point value: | 9 credit / 6 credits |
1.2 Course description
This course aims to explore the theoretical and practical issues relating to law and society in China, the extent to which law as a tool for politics and development has affected social change and how social forces have influenced the functioning of law and the interaction among legal institutions in China. This course will discuss the operation of China’s political-legal system, lawmaking, courts, legal professions, various forms of dispute resolution, legal consciousness and mobilization, criminal and civil justice, and how the Chinese case pushes the boundaries of socio-legal theories. It will also address the impact of law on people’s behaviour, how law mediates the interaction between state and society, and the relationship between social change and legal change. The interface between law and economic, political, cultural, and social phenomena will be studied through critical debates, empirical research and from comparative perspectives.
1.3 Course teachers
| Name | E-mail address | Office | Consultation | |
| Course convenor | Sida Liu | liusida@hku.hk | CCT 503 | By email |
Learning Outcomes
2.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for this course
CLO 1 Describe the basic social structures of the Chinese legal system.
CLO 2 Explain how legal change and social change interact in contemporary China.
CLO 3 Apply socio-legal concepts and theories to understand various legal and social phenomena in China.
2.2 LLM and JD Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Please refer to the following link:
LLM – https://course.law.hku.hk/llm-plo/
JD – 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 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Assessment(s)
3.1 Assessment Summary
| Assessment task | Due date | Weighting | Feedback method* | Course learning outcomes |
| Reading responses | TBC | 30% | 5 | 1, 2, 3 |
| Research paper | 10 May 2024 | 70% | 1 | 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/