Information technology is one of the major driving forces in our modern world. It is changing the mode of economic production, the manner of communication, as well the structure and method that we use to govern ourselves. The emergence of new technologies has created conveniences and efficiencies for the society; but it also brings about multiple new concerns and risks that must be addressed by the legal system. This course focuses on what challenges the technologies have posed to our basic rights and governance scheme, and how the law could respond to those challenges.

The two areas covered by this course are rights and governance: on the one hand, individuals enjoy a bunch of fundamental rights that are protected and facilitated by traditional theories, doctrines, and rules, such as equality, free speech, and privacy; on the other hand, various legal structures and institutions have been established to better govern our social and economic life. The Internet and relevant technologies have reshaped and reformulated both how the rights can be protected and how our society can be governed. This course will explore these issues.

Judicial cases, statutes, scholarly papers, and short commentaries from various jurisdictions will be read and discussed during this course. By critically engaging with the class discussions, students will get a clearer and deeper sense of cutting-edge issues in law; they can also develop the capability of thinking in a critical and interdisciplinary way. In addition, the Socratic method used in this course will train the students to express themselves in a coherent manner, and to think and argue an issue like a lawyer.