HIST4700SM 公眾歷史專題研究：The Rule of Law in World History

This course introduces students to the major themes and events in Western and World legal history, beginning with the legacy of ancient Greek and Roman law and culminating in its global legacy in the modern U.S. and Asia. It combines aspects of both the content and social history of the law (text and context) as it developed over time from antiquity to the present day. Key topics include the emergence of the Roman legal tradition, its reception in antiquity and the Middle Ages, the development of non-Roman legal systems such as English Common Law, and the spread of international and commercial law in the early modern period. It concludes by considering the impact of the various Western legal traditions in the modern world, helping students understand present-day legal changes in historical context.

1. (7/9) Introduction

Aristotle, Politics III.16 & Plato, Statesman, 294a-296a Plato and Aristotle Reading

Tom Bingham, The Rule of Law, chapter 1

Explore this resource: https://worldjusticeproject.org/our-work/research-and-data/wjp-rule-law-index-2019 

2. (14/9) Greece and Republican Rome. Online via Zoom (all other classes in person).

Aristotle, The Athenian Constitution 1-11, 20-25: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/ancient/aristotle-athcon.txt

Polybius, The Constitution of the Roman Republic: https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Polybius/6*.html

3. (21/9) Law and Custom in Imperial China and East Asia

Lu, David John. Japan: a Documentary History / Vol. 1: The Dawn of History to the Late Tokugawa Period. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, 2015. Web. Pp. 29-36 (online). 

Han Feizi the Legalist, “The Five Vermin” http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/cup/hanfei_five_vermin.pdf  

Tang Code, “The Great Abominations” http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/cup/zhangsun_wuji_great_tang_code.pdf

Further Reading (optional): POMERANZ, KENNETH. “Land Markets in Late Imperial and Republican China.” Continuity and change 23.1 (2008): 101–150. Web.  & Ma, Debin, and Jan Luiten van Zanden. “Property Rights, Land, and Law in Imperial China.” Law and Long-Term Economic Change. Stanford University Press, 2011. 68–. Both online via UL Catalog.

4. (28/9) Justinian

Codex of Justinian, 1st, 2nd & 3rd Prefaces, Book I.1 https://droitromain.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr/Anglica/codjust_Scott.htm 

Institutes, Preamble & Book 1, titles 1-3, Book 2, titles 1-6 & 10-12 

https://droitromain.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr/Anglica/iust_institut_Scott.html

5. (5/10) Post-Roman and Early Medieval Law, including Islamic Law

Katherine Fisher Drew (trans.), The Laws of the Salian Franks (Philadelphia, 1991), 28-39, 171-182

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3441443

Al-Risala, On Legal Knowledge Shafi’i, ‘al-Risala’, ch. 3 ‘On Legal Knowledge’

S.P. Scott (trans.), The Visigothic Code (Forum Judicum) (Boston, 1910), 1-14 Scott, S.P. (1910) ‘The Visigothic Code (Forum Judicum)’, 1-14

Tutorial 1 – Justinian reading

6. (12/10) Canon and Civil Law

Gratian, The Treatise on Laws (Decretum DD. 1-20) With the Ordinary Gloss, trans. Augustine Thompson (Washington, D.C., 1993), Introduction (ix-xxvii), Distinction 10 (32-37), Distinctions 15-18 (53-76): https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3135130

7. (19/10) Common Law I

Magna Carta (all) https://www.bl.uk/magna-carta/articles/magna-carta-english-translation  and Bracton (pp. 20-33, 39-42, 282-285): https://amesfoundation.law.harvard.edu/Bracton/Unframed/calendar.htm

8. (26/10) Common Law II

Justice Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (Introduction part 3 “Of the Laws of England” & Book 1 Chapter 1 “Of the Absolute Rights of Individuals”) https://www.gutenberg.org/files/30802/30802-h/30802-h.htm

“Entick v Carrington” https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/KB/1765/J98.html 

Tutorial 2 – Common Law I-II

9. (2/11) The Codification Movement

French Constitution (1791), Preamble, Titles 1-3:https://wp.stu.ca/worldhistory/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2015/07/French-Constitution-of-1791.pdf

Napoleonic Code, Preliminary Title, Book 1 Title 1, Book 2 Titles 1-2: http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/government/c_code.html 

Friedrich Carl von Savigny, The Vocation of Our Age for Legislation and Jurisprudence, trans. Abraham Hayward (London, 1999), 13-35, 41-65, 92: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3117696

Tutorial 3 – All pre-modern legal systems readings

10. (9/11) No Class

11. (16/11) Codifications Around the World

Japanese civil code 1896, TBC: https://www.moj.go.jp/content/000056024.pdf ; Mecelle (Civil Code of Ottoman Empire pp. TBC https://www.iium.edu.my/deed/lawbase/al_majalle/index.html

Browse: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/235282716.pdf

Tutorial 4 – Codifications reading

12. (23/11) Soviet and Socialist Law (McManus)

“Socialist Law” https://max-eup2012.mpipriv.de/index.php/Socialist_Law 

Civil Code of the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic (pp. 7-8, 25-42, 124-125,) https://repository.law.umich.edu/books/3/ 

“The Socialist System of Laws with Chinese Characteristics” https://english.www.gov.cn/archive/white_paper/2014/09/09/content_281474986284659.htm

30% 5*1-page response papers (6% each)

For 5 of the 13 weeks of readings, please produce a 1-page argument-driven mini essay (no more than 300 words), answering the question: “What is the most important take-away from the reading, and why?”  Send to Professor by email before Monday 9AM after the related lecture. Veriguide Receipts must also be submitted, but these can be sent at the end of the term. 

20% Participation in Tutorial

Active and enthusiastic participation in the tutorial on the basis of the reading (5% per tutorial). 

20% attendance and participation in lecture

Each student is required to attend the weekly lecture and the tutorials, as well as participate in class exercises, etc. (5%).  Students must also ask at least two questions over the course of the semester (you must announce your name before you ask the question) (10%) with half the grade given for asking the questions (5%), then the other half given for the quality/relevance of the questions (5%).  From time to time, we will also cold-call students on students.  Students must also attend at least 3 World History Seminars via Zoom (send screen shot to TA as proof). Schedule will be announced in due course (5%). 

30% Final Project.  

(25%) Write an argument-focused essay on a topic of your choice related to the course.  You may also choose a creative assessment, e.g. write their own law code, commentary on law, etc. (2500 words minimum, 3000 words maximum, plus references). 

(5%) 1-page proposal by Friday 9AM on week 8 and compulsory visit to office hours.  

Due: December 8 at 5pm.  

馮景禧樓116室（FKH 116）, 星期四14:30-16:15

There is no textbook.  However, students looking for an introduction to the topic should refer to: Tamar Herzog, A Short History of European Law: The Last Two and A Half Millennia, 2019 [on hold in library] and Brian Z. Tamanaha, On the Rule of Law: History, Politics, Theory, 2004 [CUHK Ebook; there is also a Chinese translation with Wuhan University Press, as well as translations into several other languages]. 

請注意大學有關學術著作誠信的政策和規則，及適用於犯規事例的紀律指引和程序。詳情可瀏覽網址：http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/。

學生遞交作業時，必須連同已簽署的聲明一併提交，表示他們知道有關政策、規則、指引及程序。

• 如屬小組習作，則所有組員均須簽署聲明；所有組員（不論有否簽署聲明及不論有否直接或間接撰寫有問題的內容）均須負上集體責任及受到懲處。
• 如作業以電腦製作、內容以文字為主，並經由大學「維誠」系統 (VeriGuide) 提交者，學生將作業的電子檔案上載到系統後，便會獲得收據，收據上已列明有關聲明。

未有夾附簽署妥當的聲明的作業，老師將不予批閱。

學生只須提交作業的最終版本。

學生將作業或作業的一部份用於超過一個用途（例如：同時符合兩科的要求）而沒有作出聲明會被視為未有聲明重覆使用作業。學生重覆使用其著作的措辭或某一、二句句子很常見，並可以接受，惟重覆使用全部內容則構成問題。在任何情況下，須先獲得相關老師同意方可提交作業。