Fostering Civic Engagement in Legal Education: Observations from Hong Kong
| Published date | 01 January 2014 |
| Date | 01 January 2014 |
| DOI | 10.1177/2321005813505460 |
| Subject Matter | Essays |
Military-Madrasa-Mullah Complex 57
India Quarterly, 66, 2 (2010): 133–149
A Global Threat 57
Essay
Fostering Civic Engagement in
Legal Education: Observations
from Hong Kong
Luke Marsh
Michael Ramsden
Abstract
In 2001 the Redmond–Roper Report on Legal Education and Training in Hong Kong outlined major
concerns relating to the quality of legal education in Hong Kong, particularly with respect to the
overemphasis on black-letter law, teaching methodology that engendered passive learning and a general
deficiency in equipping graduates with the legal skills and values necessary to address the needs of
the community. Taking the position that fostering civic engagement in curriculum design provides an
excellent means to address these concerns, this article examines key initiatives adopted by the Faculty
of Law at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. First is an innovative course known as ‘The Individual,
the Community and the Law’ which is compulsory for all law students and requires them to undertake
a substantial socio-legal research project addressing concerns in the local community. Second is the
‘Refugee Assistance Programme’, a clinic programme that puts students in positions of responsibility to
address the unmet legal needs of refugees in Hong Kong. This article will describe the design of these
programmes and assess how far these initiatives are able to foster civic engagement and in turn address
the concerns of Redmond–Roper.
Introduction
2013 marked the fiftieth Anniversary of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). The ahead
provides an opportune moment to consider its place in the Hong Kong community. Since its incep-
tion, CUHK has committed itself to upholding a ‘humanistic culture’. As Professor Joseph J.Y. Sung,
Vice-Chancellor of CUHK explains: ‘A university’s role is not only to impart knowledge, but also to
groom the moral character of our society’s future torchbearers’.1
1 Joseph Sung, Message from the Vice-Chancellor and President, Chinese University of Hong Kong, http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/
english/aboutus/message.html
Luke Marsh, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Michael Ramsden, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Asian Journal of Legal Education
1(1) 57–65
© 2014 The West Bengal National
University of Juridical Sciences
SAGE Publications
Los Angeles, London,
New Delhi, Singapore,
Washington DC
DOI: 10.1177/2321005813505460
http://ale.sagepub.com
Acknowledgements: The authors are grateful to Adrian Fong for his assistance and to the anonymous reviewers for very helpful
comments on an earlier draft.
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