The courses available to WCL students include:
- Basic Law of Hong Kong -- This course will enable students to understand the nature of the constitutional and legal framework established under the Basic Law in light of the prevailing legal, political, economic and social values. It will also give students and opportunity to identify areas of uncertainty or conflict, and problems likely to surface in the future.
- Chinese Criminal Law and Procedure -- This course will examine the basic concepts underlying the PRC's system of criminal law and procedure with emphasis on the differences in both conception and approach to criminal lability between this and other systems.
- Chinese Legal History and Legal Thought -- This course will enable students to identify and assess the various sources that have influenced the evolution of the Chinese legal system throughout China's history. It will examine the interaction between Chinese and Western legal thought.
- Chinese and Comparative Financial Law -- This course will examine the framework of banking and financial laws and regulations at the international level. It will examine the laws and regulations of the PRC, Hong Kong and the USA with particular reference to central banks and multinational organizations.
- Comparative Commercial Dispute Resolution -- The course focuses on the theory of dispute resolution as practiced in the PRC, including negotiation, mediation and arbitration as well as litigation. The course also examines dispute resolution in the Asian Pacific Region generally.
- Comparative Intellectual Property Law -- This course contrasts and compares the intellectual property systems of China, Hong Kong and, where appropriate, the USA. The law of copyright, patents, and trade and service marks will be studied from a comparative perspective.
- Constitutional and Administrative Law of China -- This course focuses on the historical and ideological background of the Constitutional and Administrative law of the PRC. It examines the relationship between constitutional law and socialist legality as well as the relationship between the several branches of government and the nature of the state. The civil obligations and political rights of citizens are examined as well as the legislative and administrative process in the PRC.
- Chinese and Comparative Copyright Law -- This course examines and compares the copyright systems of the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong and where appropriate, the United States and the United Kingdom. Additionally, the course will study the international copyright law and how the PRC's and HK's copyright system relates to it. The course will consider the nature, the subject matter and rights and remedies arising from copyright.
- Chinese and Comparative Company Law -- This course will study the primary company law and regulations of China, Hong Kong and other developed country's jurisdiction, especially that of the United States. The course will examine differences between the various forms of business organizations, rights of corporate directors and shareholders and concepts such as agency, credit and fiduciary duties.
- Comparative Constitutional Law -- The course will provide a comparative perspective on some traditional constitutional problems, including federalism, legislative processes, civil rights, constitutional amendment and the relationship between international and municipal law. Jurisdictions to be considered include: Hong Kong, China, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the European Union.
- Chinese and Comparative Real Property Law -- This course will introduce students to the past socialist approach to property and the modern strategy of urban reform to the real property system of China since 1979. It will provide students current resources for law and regulations concerning real property in China. The course will examine the different approaches to real property law adopted by civil and common law jurisdiction.
- Chinese Civil Law (I) and Chinese Civil Law (II)
- Chinese Civil Law (I) uses lectures and discussions to introduce to the students the basic concepts and principles of Chinese civil law and procedure as well as the analytical skills required for civil law practice;
- Chinese Civil Law (II) is a seminar course that exposes the students to advanced concept and principles of selected areas of Chinese civil law and procedure. The topics covered include persons, contracts, torts, restitution, property, family law, agency and conflict of laws.
- Chinese Business Law -- The course offers and advanced examination of China's legal framework in connection with foreign and domestic economic transaction in China. Students will gain an understanding of the theoretical, historical, economic and cultural basis of China's legal system in connection with business transactions.
- Dissertation -- The principal aim of this course is to test the ability of students to carry out independent research and to develop the necessary expertise to apply the theory and techniques learned in the program to a chosen area of research. It will also enable them to marshal the results of their research and present them in a precise, coherent and convincing manner.
- International and Comparative Environmental Law -- This course concentrates on the developing area of international and comparative environmental law. The main differences between the environmental law regimes of Hong Kong, China and other jurisdictions will be highlighted.
- Legal Systems of East Asia -- This course is intended to provide a basic comparative knowledge of the working of law in East Asia as exemplified by countries like Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Cambodia and Laos. It will equip students with the basic knowledge necessary to conduct trade relations with those countries, an essential requirement in Hong Kong in view of its special situation in the region. In the conduct of this course only two or three jurisdictions will be chosen for comparison.
- Theory and Practice of Comparative Law -- This course is intended to enable students to understand the law by the use of the comparative method. Students will learn the purpose and techniques of comparative law, and will thus be able from that knowledge to enrich the legal system of their own countries.
The course provides comprehensive and in-depth coverage of Chinese Civil law and procedure.
During their semester at CityU, WCL students will typically take four courses, each consisting of lectures and a research/writing component. Please note that not all the courses listed above will be available in any given semester. In addition, WCL students may be eligible to enroll in other CityU courses, with permission of the Directors. For current course offerings at CityU, please visit the following website. www.cityu.edu.hk/slw/courses/courseindex.htm
Course grades will be based on a written final examination and written class assignments. The general grading "curve" (for all students) at CityU appears roughly equivalent to that to which American law students are accustomed. WCL students have the option of electing to receive either graded or ungraded credit for their work in the program; if they choose the latter, specific course grades will not be transferred from CityU to WCL. This option may be exercised, with respect to a student's course load as a whole, at any time prior to the completion of his or her academic work at CityU.
The CityU "semester A" will begin in September, and will end in December, with exams given, after a study break, in late December. "Semester B" will run from January to late April, with exams in May. Please note that it may be possible for WCL students to arrange to take their exams out of the regular cycle. For the current CityU academic calendar, please refer to the following web page: http://www.cityu.edu.hk/arro/arro_new/Academic_Calendar/calendar.htm
