Employment Law: A Proposal for a New Course using Participatory Learning Methods

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to establish an employment law course at the School of Law. The centrality of work to people's lives, the macroeconomic import of labor markets, and the increasingly legal basis of social relations in a modern, rule-of-law-based state all testify to the didactic value of employment law. Whether or not law school students are contemplating a career in employment law, they are likely to encounter legal issues over work relationships in their professional practice. The grant will support primarily the creation of an undergraduate course on the law governing work relations in Hong Kong. Subject areas will include individual rights and duties, collective rights and duties, and social insurance schemes connected to employment. The course will also cover emerging issues of distinctive importance in the Hong Kong employment context, including migrant and cross-border work, employee investigations, the use of data analytics to make employment-related decisions, and the legal obligations surrounding lay-offs and restructurings. The undergraduate course will be the keystone upon which to develop graduate and seminar course material on Hong Kong employment law and for comparative courses on employment law. The outcome of the project will be to introduce students to an important field of law, contributing to their professional development and their faculties of critical thinking.