Handbook

This course will provide students with an introduction to legal systems and traditions in Asia through a focus on constitutionalism and the rule of law. Constitutionalism and the rule of law are now commonly promoted by scholars, politicians and the legal profession as essential to political and democratic reform in Asia. There is vigorous debate over the substance, content and practical value of these concepts in a global environment of democratic decline and the persistence of authoritarianism. This course will provide an opportunity for students to engage in comparative research on law in Asia. Core themes of the course include: law in authoritarian regimes; constitution-making; constitutionalism; court reform and judicial review; human rights; religion-state relations; and legal pluralism. This is a research-intensive subject.

Students are encouraged to have completed or be undertaking Law in Global Context.