This course will explore the legal system of Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China (ROC). The Ching Dynasty ceded Taiwan to Japan under the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895. The ROC was founded in 1912 after overthrowing the Ching Dynasty. Pursuant to the Cairo Declaration, the ROC took over Taiwan after WWII. In 1949, due to its defeat in the civil war to the Chinese Communist Party that established the People's Republic of China (PRC), the ROC government relocated to Taipei. In 1971, the United Nations General Assembly passed Resolution 2758 that transferred the China seat from the ROC to the PRC, hence making Taiwan a unique case under international law.
This SMU-XO course offers an international experiential learning opportunity that allows students to translate classroom knowledge and theory into practical solutions for various institutions. In addition to visiting law firms, government agencies and companies, student will also participate in a consultancy project. Through the project, students will learn how to solve business problems with guidance from the faculty and project sponsor mentors. The project will focus on evaluating legal problems in different areas of law and recommending/applying solutions to these problems.
Students worked on legal memoranda that can benefit the practical operations of organisations (such as the law reform committee and foreign embassies) and enrich the comparative law aspects of future Taiwanese law.