This course introduces students to the legal systems and legal traditions of South East Asia in the context of their plural societies, and considers the relationship between law, governance and development in the region over the span of modern history. Among the topics covered in the course include:
• pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial law, including customary and religious law;
• the influence of legal transplants, state-building, and development initiatives;
• critical consideration of theoretical frameworks used to make sense of the diversity in the region;
• key issues relating to constitutionalism and nation-building;
• domestic challenges such as ethnic and sectarian conflict;
• the role of law in socio-economic change in the region.
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:By the conclusion of this course, it is intended that students who have successfully completed all of the course requirements will be able to:
1. Analyze and critically evaluate the historical evolution of the legal systems in South East Asia;
2. Evaluate the role of legal institutions in governance and development in South East Asia, and present the evaluation in verbal form;
3. Assess contemporary academic and policy debates about law and society in South East Asia, and participate in those debates orally;
4. Access South East Asian legal materials for research purposes and employ a variety of research methodologies;
5. Plan and execute complex legal research on issues relating to law and society in South East Asia, and present the research findings in written form.
Indicative AssessmentAssessment is likely to consist of:
• Class Participation: to be assessed in seminars throughout the course (10%) [Learning Outcome 2 and 3]
• Class Presentation: 5-10 minutes of presentation followed by discussion (10%) [Learning Outcome 2 and 3]
• Research Essay: 4000 words, due at the end of the course (80%) [Learning Outcome 1, 4 and 5]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload36 contact hours. In total, 120 hours will be required for the successful completion of this course.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed TextsE-brick will be provided through the ANU Library.
Preliminary ReadingPatrick Glenn, Legal Traditions of the World (2004)
Patrick Glenn, Legal Traditions of the World (2004) Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism (1983)Barry Hooker, Legal Pluralism: An Introduction to Colonial and Neo-Colonial Laws (1975)
Assumed KnowledgeThe course will assume a working knowledge of basic legal concepts.
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
|Class number||Class start date||Last day to enrol||Census date||Class end date||Mode Of Delivery||Class Summary|
|1677||03 Jan 2019||07 Jan 2019||18 Jan 2019||31 Jan 2019||In Person||N/A|