Source:
https://scmp.com/news/article/2129014/cuhk-broadens-study-path-legal-eagles-wider-choice-electives
Education

CUHK broadens study path for legal eagles with wider choice of electives

CUHK broadens study path for legal eagles with wider choice of electives

To help its students cultivate more diverse perspectives, the faculty of law at Chinese University (CUHK) has introduced a broad range of new elective courses for both its undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

The new electives include: free trade areas and customs unions: law and policy; energy law; international and comparative energy law; law and ethics of ageing: global perspectives; global issues in law; Chinese employment law; tax policy; information and privacy law; cultural heritage law; and the clinic for public interest advocacy.

Dean of the faculty, Professor Christopher Gane, believes the launch of the new electives represents an important development in the programmes and reflects the faculty’s strongly “international” profile. “These new courses offer new perspectives for our students. Many of them are of great practical importance for Hong Kong, while at the same time addressing issues that are of global significance,” he says.

The significant increase in new electives is part of the outcome of a full review of the bachelor of laws programme. Through the review, the faculty has aimed to give greater clarity to the programme’s structure and to emphasise the logical development of legal studies. “The review has ensured that all courses that were properly regarded as ‘foundational’ – those seen as essential to any qualification in law – are grouped together in the first two years of the LLB programme. This means that all law subjects regarded as prerequisites for graduation will be available to students in the first two years of studies,” Gane says.

As such, the third and fourth years of study consist entirely of elective subjects. “Of course, many – probably most – students would take the remaining subjects necessary for admission to the PCLL programme,” Gane notes. “But even then, all students studying for the LLB have one further year to pursue subjects they have selected from the extensive range of electives available.”

The review has also made it easier for LLB students to take advantage of the huge range of opportunities CUHK offers for study abroad – whether at university or faculty level, or via exchange programmes arranged by the university’s constituent colleges. At present, LLB students have more than 2,000 potential destinations for study abroad if they wish to broaden their experience this way. “This review has also allowed the faculty to identify a number of specialist ‘streams’ students may pursue by an appropriate choice of electives. So, for example, students may choose to develop a ‘specialism’ in Chinese law or global law, thus enhancing their qualifications by evidencing their experience in these areas,” Gane adds.

In another development, the faculty has established the new office of career planning and professionalism, appointing Paul Mitchard, QC, as director. Mitchard has more than 35 years’ experience in private practice under his belt. “The office has been established to enhance the range of services offered by the faculty to support students in their choice of career, and to assist them in preparation for the transition from study to the world of work, particularly in the legal professions,” Gane says.