Course Code and Course Title

[CHES3106] Chinese Legal and Justice Cultures

Time and Venue

Thu 10:30am - 1:15pm
ARC_211

Course Description

This course explores law and justice concepts, institutions, practices, and cultures in China from the late imperial period to the late twentieth century. The course is structured chronologically to follow the evolution of law and justice in China, while also incorporating recent research that sheds light on new themes in China’s legal history. Through a set of diverse readings in Chinese philosophy, literature, drama, opera, politics, history, religion, and court cases, we will investigate the changing and enduring patterns of Chinese legal practices and conceptions of justice to deepen our understanding of China’s past and present.

Course Outline

The Conceptions of Legal and Justice Cultures in China

Imperial Justice and the Cosmos

The Qing Legal System in Practice

Justice in Popular Culture

Qing Justice Cultures

Cultures of Revolutionary Legal Reforms

The Modern Prison and Thought Reform

Justice and Nation Building

Wartime Justice

Revolutionary Justice

Justice in New China

Quest for Law and Order amid Reform

Research Paper Poster and Presentation