This Course Guide has been taken from the most recent presentation of the course. It would be useful for reference purposes but please note that there may be updates for the following presentation.
LESM A303
Law Enforcement and Policing in Chinese Societies
Welcome to LESM A303 Law Enforcement and Policing in Chinese Societies, which provides you with a systematic and critical review of the relationship between Chinese society and law enforcement and policing. Throughout the course, you will be helped to understand the major issues including police power, culture and their relationship to other social, historical and political forces.
This course is an elective one semester, five-credit, higher-level course for Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) students seeking a Bachelor of Social Sciences or a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Hons) in Law Enforcement and Security Management. This course will also be of interest to students majoring in sociology and political science within the Social Sciences programme who would like to broaden their knowledge of the interrelationships between the police as an institution and the various facets of society — especially in the Chinese mainland.
The course is designed for students without prior knowledge from HKMU courses. However, prior knowledge gained from foundation, lower- or middle-level courses in Social Science and Law Enforcement and Security Management would be a distinct advantage.
The study units, readings, activities and self-tests, and assignments will help you master the topics over a period of about 20 weeks.
Purpose of this Course Guide
If you have taken other courses through HKMU, you should now be well aware of both the study skills required for distance learning and how HKMU courses are organized. It is still recommended, though, that you read this Course Guide thoroughly before looking at the study units or your textbook. If this is your first HKMU course, then please read this Course Guide very carefully.
The Course Guide tells you briefly what the course is about and how you can work your way through the material. It suggests the amount of time you will most likely need to spend in order to complete the course and it will give you a general idea of when your assignments are due. For detailed information on assignments, however, please refer to the Assignment File and, for information on due dates and cut off times for work to be submitted, please refer to the Presentation Schedule.
In distance learning as practised by Hong Kong Metropolitan University, the study units are coordinated and prepared in the distance mode of education by your university professor. You do not need to attend lectures face-to-face with the lecturer or professor. This is one of the great advantages of distance learning: you can read and work through specially designed study material at your own pace at times and places that suit you best.
Think of it as reading the lecture instead of hearing it from a lecturer. In the same way that a lecturer might set you some reading to do, the study unit will tell you when and what to read. In the same way that a lecturer might give you an in-class exercise, your study unit will have exercises (called by various names) for you to do at appropriate points. Do them all, as these exercises and questions give you the practice necessary to achieve the objectives of the course and to pass the examination. Even when you 'make notes' in a direct face-to-face lecture, you are advised to study those notes, and to read and to think about them in relation to your textbook. In the distance mode of education, the course materials replace the live lecture notes.
Course aims
LESM A303 Law Enforcement and Policing in Chinese Societies aims to:
Course learning outcomes
Upon completion of LESM A303, you should be able to:
The following table presents a general overview of the course structure:
| Unit | Title | Weeks | Assessment activity (end of unit) |
| 1 | Law enforcement and policing in Chinese societies: A conceptual foundation | 3 | |
| 2 | Chinese law enforcement and policing in historical and comparative perspective | 3 | Assignment 1 |
| 3 | Changes and challenges in Chinese law enforcement and policing: The issues of modernization | 3 | Assignment 2 |
| 4 | Styles and problems of policing | 3 | |
| 5 | Policing in Taiwan | 3 | Assignment 3 |
| Revision | 1 | ||
| TOTAL | 16 |
The study units outline the objectives of each section, summarize key issues, explain the relevant concepts and examples, and comment on related readings. Each unit contains activities and self-tests to reinforce your learning of the issues under discussion. Moreover, the assignments will provide you with further feedback and will help you achieve the objectives of the course.
The course is structured so that each unit builds upon previous units. Each unit contains a variety of techniques to help you study, and you should be aware that the following points will help you to get the most out of the information presented:
Please remember that you have to plan your own study schedule within the time period of the course.
Unit 1 Law enforcement and policing in Chinese societies: A conceptual foundation
The first unit provides you with an introduction to the complexity of law enforcement and policing in Chinese societies. It begins by explaining law enforcement and policing as sociological concepts, and applies them to an understanding in the context of Chinese society. It then describes the special political context of law enforcement and policing in the People's Republic of China (PRC). The unit ends by providing you with an understanding of the particular features of the criminal justice system of the PRC.
Unit 2 Chinese law enforcement and policing in historical and comparative perspective
Unit 2 describes the socio-historical forms of control and law enforcement and policing in Chinese society. It then explains how these forms were reproduced after 1949 in the PRC as part and parcel of the PRC's overall control and policing system. The unit then proceeds to analyse how recent changes in society are impacting on law enforcement and policing in the PRC, and finally begins to look at Chinese policing in an international comparative context.
Unit 3 Changes and challenges in Chinese law enforcement and policing: The issues of modernization
The third unit explains the challenges and changes facing PRC law enforcement and policing as it encounters a changing society and political orientation. It then proceeds to discuss the prospects of judicial independence and autonomous policing in the PRC, and then offers comprehensive insights into the issue of the emergence (or non- emergence) of professionalism as part of the modernization of PRC policing.
Unit 4 Styles and problems of policing
Unit 4 begins by comparing the styles of policing used in policing various elements in the community. This is followed by an analysis of the problems associated with discretionary powers and differential policing in the PRC. The issues of accountability and supervisory systems in place in PRC policing are examined along with police culture and the problems associated with self-protectionism and corruption in the police. The unit concludes with an examination of future behavioural trends in PRC law enforcement and policing.
Unit 5 Policing in Taiwan
The final unit looks at Taiwanese policing to provide a comparison with PRC policing. The unit begins by providing a brief history of policing in Taiwan, and then proceeds to describe police organizations in Taiwan and the environmental factors affecting them. It then discusses the criminal justice system in Taiwan and describes the challenges and problems facing the Taiwanese police. By the end of the unit, you should be in a position to compare policing in Taiwan with policing in other Chinese societies.
In addition to this Course Guide, please ensure that you have the following important course components from HKMU.
Printed materials
Set textbooks
There is no set textbook for the course.
Supplementary readings
There will be a number of supplementary readings associated with each unit, and these readings are very important as they provide valuable insights into the complex organizational and societal issues addressed in this course.
Non-print media
Internet
Relevant Internet sites, where available, will be noted in the text of the course, but an Internet connection is not a requirement for this course.
The course assessment is designed to help you progress easily from the study units and the required readings in them through to the assignments and examination. You will be required to apply the information and techniques learned during the course when doing the assignments. The assignments must be submitted to your tutor for formal assessment in accordance with the deadlines stated in the Assignment File. The non- assessed self-test questions are not part of your formal assessment, but these should be done before progressing to the assignments.
Assignment File
Assignment details for this course are contained in your Assignment File. The nature of these assignments is described in the 'Assignments' section below. You are required to complete your assignments and send them by mail (together with an assignment form) to your tutor in accordance with the timetable provided in the Presentation Schedule.
Presentation Schedule
The Presentation Schedule is available on the Online Learning Environment (OLE). It gives you the dates for completing the assignment and attending tutorials.
Assignments
There are three (3) assignments altogether. You are advised to study the unit(s), including the activities and self-tests (and their answers) before attempting to solve the problems or answer the questions in the assignments. More specific instructions will be found in the Assignment File.
You should finish all three assignments for your tutor to grade, but only the best two (2) grades obtained on your assignments count for the continuous assessment portion of the course. Therefore, each assignment carries a weighting of 25% of your final mark or, stated another way, 50% of your final grade will depend on your assignments.
How to do your assignments
For each assignment, please read through the questions, and the instructions accompanying the questions, in the Assignment File. Please read the question carefully and make sure you understand what is required before attempting it.
Once you have completed each assignment, you must send it (together with your assignment form) to your tutor. Please make sure that each assignment reaches your tutor on or before the deadline. However, if you cannot finish your assignment on time, you must contact your tutor before the deadline to discuss the possibility of an extension. Your tutor may grant you an extension of up to seven days. If more time is needed, you must obtain approval from the Course Coordinator or the Dean of the School of Arts and Social Sciences. No marks will be awarded for any late assignments without prior approval being obtained (unless the Course Coordinator or the Dean so approves).
You must be careful when you are using other references in the research for your assignments. Plagiarism is copying someone else's work or ideas without indicating the original source of the material. HKMU takes a very serious view of plagiarism and any student who commits plagiarism will be penalized. This applies just as much to using work of other students as it does to authors of books. However, you may include parenthetical references to the works you cite e.g. (Roberg, Crank and Kuykendall 1999, 88). So, you should include a section at the end of your assignment called 'References' where the full name, title, date and place of the publication appear. A way to cite a reference is:
Roberg, R R, Crank, J and Kuykendall, J (1999) Police and Society, Roxbury, USA: Roxbury Publishing.
This citation technique is a normal and necessary part of science or social science. It is good training to learn to acknowledge your sources of information as you do your assignments. This citation system is part of intellectual honesty and is most important in scientific literature. And, if you look at it another way, the fact that you say (write) something and someone else supports what you wrote, the work (the person) you cited adds power to what you have said.
Tutors and assignments
Your assignments will be marked and commented on by your tutor, who will keep an eye on your progress and assist you if you encounter problems during the course. Marked assignments will be returned to you as soon as possible.
It is a good practice to keep a copy of each assignment submitted for marking, so that you can always refer any queries to the tutor during telephone conversation. Please contact your tutor should the following arise:
Apart from self-study, tutorials will also be organized to assist you in your learning. Details of the dates, time and location of the tutorials as well as the name and phone number of you tutor will be sent to you in due course.
It is strongly recommended that you attend all the tutorials, which will provide considerable assistance in your study of this course. Moreover, you will have the chance to meet fellow students and with other distance learners who are studying at HKMU.
Assignment schedule
Note when your assignments are due.
| Assignment | Assignment Focus | Time |
| 1 | Law enforcement and policing in Chinese societies: a conceptual foundation Chinese law enforcement and policing in historical and comparative perspective | At the end of Unit 2 |
| 2 | Changes and challenges in Chinese law enforcement and policing: the issues of modernization | At the end of Unit 3 |
| 3 | Styles and problems of policing Policing in Taiwan | At the end of Unit 5 |
Final examination
The final examination for this course will be of three hours duration and count for 50% of the total course grade. You should use the time between finishing the last unit and the examination to review the entire course. But, at the university level, it is wise to study in a planned, methodical way well before the final exam. Mature and hard-working students in the distance mode of education need to be flexible in both study habits and times. You might find it useful to review your self-tests, assignments and your tutor's comments on them before sitting for the examination. You will be advised of examination arrangements after you send in your examination registration card.
The final examination covers information from all parts of the course and will be in a form you have already experienced in self-tests and assignments. Do not worry that the examination will contain tricky questions. That would not be consistent with the clear, open approach HKMU takes to helping its learners succeed in their studies.
Marking scheme
The following table tells you once again how the marks are allocated to the assessment items (assignments) and to your final examination.
Please note that in order to pass this course, you must pass both the assignments component and the examination — that is, you must obtain final grades of 40% (20/50 or better) in both the assignments and the final exam.
| Assessment type | Marks |
| Three assignments — the best two counting The three assignments will include case studies and essay questions | 25% each * 2 = 50% |
| Examination The three-hour examination will comprise essay-type questions. | 50% |
| Total | 100% |
| You must obtain a score of 40% in the continuous assessment component and a score of 40% on the final examination to pass the course; that is, you must pass both assessment components. The overall passing mark is 40% or greater. | |
Tutors and tutorials
Hong Kong Metropolitan University prides itself on the support given to its distance learners. That means to you! While you may think you are studying on your own, it doesn't need to be that way. You can be in regular contact with your tutor and, once you've met them in the first tutorial, you can be in contact with your fellow students. Make a point when you meet a fellow student(s) to exchange phone numbers and email addresses. Then you are well on the way to developing a learning network of your own.
Tutorials and day schools
Five two-hour tutorials will be provided in support of LESM A303 Law Enforcement and Policing in Chinese Societies. You will be notified of the dates, time and location, together with the name, phone number and telephone tutoring hours of your tutor, as soon as you are assigned a tutorial group.
Tutorials are not lectures. They are designed to encourage group discussion and interaction. They provide you with opportunities to discuss any problems you encounter in the study units with your tutor and colleagues.
Day school
One two-hour day school will form an integral part of the course. This day school will provide you with the opportunity to hear directly from experts in the field of Chinese policing and its relationship to society. While attendance is not compulsory, you are strongly encouraged to attend and expand your academic horizons.
On-line support
The HKMU School of Arts and Social Sciences will maintain a simple webpage for the course, which will provide links to the main sites relevant to this course. Email tutoring support will also be provided where appropriate.
The police are an important feature of any society and the manner in which they are organized, their goals and culture impact upon every citizen.
Law enforcement and policing in Chinese societies has changed over time as society itself has changed. In this course, you will have the chance to examine how the role of law enforcement and policing has evolved and how well it is equipped to deal with the demands that are likely to be placed upon it.
Good luck with the course. We think that you will find it an interesting one that gives you a greater understanding of one important aspect of the society in which you live.
A note about the course developers
Dr Borge Bakken is currently research fellow at the Division of Pacific and Asian History, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University, Canberra. He is the editor of Migration in China (Copenhagen 1998) and Crime, Policing and Punishment in China (Rowman and Littlefield, in press), and author of The Exemplary Society: human improvement, social control and the dangers of modernity in China (Oxford 2000). In the past few years, he has carried out extensive research in relation to social control and policing in mainland China. Dr Bakken developed Unit 2 in conjunction with Dr Raymond Lau (below), and was the sole developer for Units 3 and 4.
Prof. Yang Yungnane is currently professor of the Department of Administrative Management, National Central Police University, Taiwan. He is the author of A Study of Police Organizations (1998) published by the Police University Press, Taoyuan, Taiwan, and has numerous publications in the Journal of Police Studies (among other publications) to his credit. Prof. Yang will prepare Unit 5 Policing in Taiwan.
Dr Raymond Lau is an Assistant Professor in Law Enforcement and Security Management in HKMU. He has published on sociopolitical control in China (in the British Journal of Sociology), and has conducted considerable primary research and published on various aspects of Chinese society. Dr Lau developed Unit 1 and co-developed Unit 2 with Dr Bakken.
