This course examines the key theories and debates about engaging with Asian legal systems. The course re-examines the assumptions underlying traditional comparative law, as well as more recent critical attempts to re-fashion the discipline, with a view to analysing whether these provide sufficient analytical tools to navigate sensibly the various legal systems in Asia. Students will develop their own comparative law methodology for studying Asian legal systems. They will apply this methodology to gain a deeper understanding of either a specific legal system in East or South-East Asia of their own choosing (such as Indonesia or Korea but not China and Japan) or a common issue that applies across multiple Asian legal systems (eg, the role of Islam in South-East Asia, human rights and Asian legal values, or the death penalty and Asian criminal justice).

Asian Law

None

You have great flexibility in determining the assessment scheme in this course. The only assessment that all students must undertake is online participation (20%). Your chosen assessment scheme must suit the learning outcomes you have articulated. There is some variation in the available assessment options and their weighting but the following is indicative of the range of assessment options you may select: