Legal Studies

This course provides an in-depth treatment of selected issues of contemporary international law. It provides an understanding of specialized areas of international law including the use of force and dispute resolution, acquisition of territory, state succession, law of the sea, and international human rights law by focusing on specific issues relevant to the Middle East.

The course tackles philosophical questions about legal systems and criminal justice. The first half of the course typically discusses big picture questions about the purpose of law and what, if anything, the criminal justice system achieves. For example, students might consider the moral obligation to obey the law, the viability of political anarchism, the justification of punishment, dispute-resolution without the state, and the moral status of civil or violent disobedience. The second half of the course usually takes a closer, critical look at how criminal justice works in practice. For example, students might discuss questions like: What is the fairest way to evaluate allegations of sexual criminality? Should we use algorithms to make decisions about parole or punishment severity? Should we defer to juries or instead use professional judges? Does it make sense to treat a corporation as morally responsible? What alternatives are there to prisons?

This course examines questions about the relationship between equality and justice, such as is it unjust for a society to be unequal? Unequal in what way? How do political systems reproduce relations of equality or inequality? Does society have a responsibility to compensate for some inequalities, and which ones? Readings include contributions from the contemporary debate on egalitarianism from John Rawls, Robert Nozick, Michael Walzer and others, as well as consider the application of theories of in/equality to current affairs in Singapore and elsewhere.

This course offers a study of corporate law including the legal principles governing corporations and other business entities. Case studies are used to explore fundamental and specialized concepts of this area of law.

Topics in this Family Law course include: family relationships; family and marriage; marital crises (separation, dissolution, and annulment); filiation; parental authority; support; new institutions for the protection of minors; foster care and adoption; juvenile criminal law.

This course studies legal rules on data protection — i.e., a set of norms that specifically govern the processing of data relating to persons (personal data) in order to protect, at least partly, the privacy and related interests of those persons. The main focus of the course is on European data protection law, primarily the European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679), Article 8 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Article 7 and 8 of the the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, along with case law pursuant to these instruments. Special attention is given to the core principles of data protection law, along with rules on "data protection by design" and automated decision making.

Constitutionalism is an idea that governmental power should be restrained by fundamental law. Many countries possess a written constitutional code, which is often seen as the fundamental law. This course examines how the idea of constitutionalism emerged in Japan and what it means today. The course also compares the Japanese constitution with constitutional law from other countries. 

Students complete an internship with a local organization or company. Each placement includes oversight and regular check-ins with an internship supervisor from the company or organization. The Internship Methodology Seminar accompanies the internship placement and offers a platform for reflection, enhancement of skills, and development of cultural competence. It focuses on practical skill application, cultural understanding, and adaptability within professional environments to provide a bridge between academic learning and real-world experience.

This course unfolds the institutions, treaties, procedures and practices of intergovernmental organizations, providing perspectives on the evolving rules and normative standards defining international human rights, the actors involved, and the processes and means by which they are monitored and their implementation is promoted. Students gain knowledge about institutions and procedures, selected rights and the obligation of states; and analyze challenges and achievements of the international human rights regime through country studies.