Law & Society in Asia: Understanding the Legal Traditions of China, Japan and India

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course offers a comparative perspective on law and legal institutions. Looking comparatively helps shed light on our own system and question what is "normal" or "natural." From what it means to be a lawyer to notions of what is "just" or "fair," courts and dispute resolution outside the U.S. can be both very different and, at times, surprisingly familiar. After an overview of concepts and classic approaches to the study of law and society, the course will explore these differences and similarities in three Asian settings: China, Japan, and India. Topics include courts and the legal profession, crime, inequality, and environmental protection, to see how each country's history, political structure, values, and interests shape how legal issues are defined and play out.