As the course name suggests, this course aims at providing legal knowledge to students to help them become smart consumers.  Through role-playing, discussion of current issues concerning consumer rights and real consumer disputes and video viewing, students will discover the legal issues and principles that govern everyday consumer transactions.

Discussion of current issues and real cases will encourage students to think about how "real" consumer disputes are dealt with and to help students consider whether the victims and their families can have any legal claim against the beauty service provider.  The lecturer will also review with students common terms and conditions of different types of consumer agreements, e.g. for internet services or the usage of Facebook.

Hence, students will know the "dos" and "don'ts" whenever they enter into a consumer transaction.  They will also become more aware of current issues involving consumer rights and trained to be more inquisitive.

This course aims to provide participants with:

• an insight into the basic legal principles governing consumer transactions and how such knowledge can help protect their interests as consumers;
• training in basic legal reasoning skills and approaches to resolving consumer disputes;
• an awareness of current issues involving consumers' rights and common consumer pitfalls in various types of consumers transactions;   
• an insight into the current consumer protection framework and mechanism in Hong Kong; and 
• training in research and presentation skills as well as oral and written arguments throughout.

To pass the course students must achieve an overall total mark of 40% or above.

Participation and Presentation – students will need to engage in discussions/debates on issues and principles learnt and they will need to present their findings during tutorials. The lecturer will facilitate the discussions and students' presentations will be assessed by the tutors.

A writing task which requires students to draft a letter advising a consumer of his/her legal rights and a draft complaint letter to the Consumer Council in relation to the consumer disputes. The advice and complaint letter will be marked by the lecturer with feedback.

A group research and presentation task: Students are required to do research and give a presentation on common consumer pitfalls and current regulations and agencies in Hong Kong which provide protection and assistance for consumers in one of the following areas: (i) beauty services; (ii) travel services; (iii) insurance services; (iv) banking and financial services; (v) money lending services; (vi) health club services; (vii) Chinese medicine practice; or (viii) product safety.

Students are also required to produce an "end-product" relating to their research topic (e.g. a poster or documentary) to go with their presentation.

The lecturer will have conferences with individual groups to provide guidance on doing this project and some background materials on the research topics. The task will be assessed by the tutors.