CULTURE AND LAW: THE EAST ASIAN PERSPECTIVE COURSE

Culture and Law: The East Asian Perspective

Explore legal cultures in East Asia, Confucianism, apology, and Legal Orientalism.

Waseda University

About this course

In most Western cultures, personal identification is based on the individual, whereas in East Asia, the family registry system has been used to identify individuals.

“Confucianism” is one of the common ethical values in East Asia. Confucian values place much emphasis on an individual’s moral obligation to family members.

In this course, three themes will be covered. It will begin with identifying how Confucian moral and legal reasoning has evolved and the unique aspect of the role of apology in East Asia. The course also introduces the notion of Legal Orientalism and argues against the theory by presenting cases related to the advanced notion of anticipatory repudiation in China, a transfer pricing case in Japan, and Inter-Korea business law in Korea.

Students and researchers interested in an introduction to East Asian societies, conflict resolution, negotiation studies, as well as contemporary legal cases in Japan, South Korea, and China are welcomed to join the course and discussions.

What you'll learn:

• Unveil multi-layered cultural assumptions

• Identify cultural particulars and legal issues in East Asia

• Learn Confucian moral values in relation to the law

• Build thinking skills for conflict resolution

Syllabus:

• Week 1 Confucianism and Law:

• Introduction with Prof. Kenjiro Tsuchida

• Confucianism and fundamentals Part 1

• Confucianism and fundamentals Part 2

• Tang and Qing China

• Confucian influence in Tokugawa Japan (1603-1867)

• Confucian jurisprudence in Yi Korea (1382-1910)

• Week 2 Apology and Wrongdoings:

• Apology and legal effects

• Cultural particulars and apology

• Law and literature - Interview with Prof. Tetsuhito Motoyama

• Apology and corporate dispute resolution in Japan

• Apology and defamation in Korea

• Legal narrative in China

• Week 3 Legal Orientalism and Beyond:

• Theoretical orientation

• Deconstructing Legal Orientalism - Interview with Prof.Takao Suami

• Chinese contract law - Interview with Prof. Hikota Koguchi

• Contract law in China

• Transfer pricing in Japan

• Inter-Korean Business

Details:

• Length: 3 Weeks

• Effort: 4–6 hours per week

• Price: FREE (Add a Verified Certificate for €41)

• Institution: WasedaX

• Subject: Social Sciences

• Level: Introductory

• Language: English

• Video Transcript: English

• Course Type: Self-paced on your time

Prerequisites: 

College level reading and writing skills

Meet your instructors:

• Maji C. Rhee (Professor, Waseda University)

Pursue a Verified Certificate to highlight the knowledge and skills you gain €41

• Official and Verified: Receive an instructor-signed certificate with the institution's logo to verify your achievement and increase your job prospects

• Easily Shareable: Add the certificate to your CV or resume, or post it directly on LinkedIn

• Proven Motivator: Give yourself an additional incentive to complete the course

• Support our Mission: EdX, a non-profit, relies on verified certificates to help fund free education for everyone globally