General Course Information
1.1 Course details
| Course code: | LSCI1001 |
| Course name: | Law, Science and Innovation |
| Programme offered under: | BSc&LLB Programme |
| Semester: | Second |
| Prerequisites / Co-requisites: | No |
| Course offered to non-law students: | No |
| Credit point value: | 6 credits |
1.2 Course description
This course provides students with an interdisciplinary understanding of law, science and innovation. Students will explore, on the one hand, the ways in which legal mechanisms (such as the intellectual property system and human rights law) promotes or regulates science and innovation, and non-legal mechanisms that may serve as complements or substitutes. On the other hand, students will consider how science and innovation may shape the future development of law, including but not limited to the relevant impact of artificial intelligence and machine learning. The course is intended to provide a solid foundation for students enrolled in the double degree to pursue further study in areas where law and science intersect, such as patent law and policy, and information technology law and policy, and medical ethics and law.
1.3 Course teachers
| Name | E-mail address | Office | Consultation | |
| Course convenor | Ryan Whalen | whalen@hku.hk | CCT 815 | By email |
Learning Outcomes
2.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)
CLO 1 Describe and explain the major developments in areas in which law, science and innovation intersect.
CLO 2 Use relevant information and knowledge acquired from the course to critically examine developments in law, science and innovation.
CLO 3 Apply what they have learnt to critically analyse, and to come up with solutions for, new and uncertain situations and problems within law, science and innovation.
CLO 4 Demonstrate an awareness of the impact of law, science and innovation within the broader economic, social, and global context.
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 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Assessment(s)
3.1 Assessment Summary
| Assessment task | Due date | Weighting | Feedback method* | Course learning outcomes |
| Participation and discussion lead | N/A | 10% | 2, 3, 5 | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Annotated bibliography | 21 Feb 2024 | 15% | 1, 2, 3, 4 | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Paper outline | 28 Feb 2024 | 10% | 1, 2, 3, 4 | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Rough draft | 20 Mar 2024 | 15% | 1, 2, 3, 4 | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Research paper | TBC | 50% | 1, 2, 3, 4 | 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 |
| 3 | Individual feedback to be disseminated through Moodle |
| 4 | Individual review meeting upon appointment |
| 5 | Group review meeting |
| 6 | In-class verbal feedback |
3.2 Assessment Detail
To be advised by the 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 12 teaching weeks |
| Private study time: | 9.5 hours / week for 12 teaching weeks |
Remarks: the normative student study load per credit until 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 the 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/