History and Development of the School of American and Comparative Law at the China University of Political Science and Law

The School of American and Comparative Law (SACL) was established at the end of 2002, and focuses on the teaching and research of American law, as well as of comparative law from the perspective of the American legal tradition. The school offers master’s and doctorate degrees in comparative law, as well as a joint bachelor-master’s degree in jurisprudence. Through a variety of programs, it is also involved in undergraduate and graduate education at other schools and departments of the China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL) and in American legal education.

SACL’s faculty consists of visiting professors and legal experts from the U.S., American experts residing in Beijing, and Chinese faculty members who have received high-quality American legal education and who are accomplished in their own specializations. The diverse curriculum at SACL reflects the diverse interests of its faculty members.

SACL admitted its first class of master’s students in 2004, and its first class of undergraduates in 2005. In addition, by offering a colloquium and a lecture series on American law and in other ways, SACL is involved in student curricula at other schools and departments of CUPL.

Beginning in 2006, SACL will also collaborate with the University of Minnesota Law School to offer an LL.M. program and a summer study-in-China program for U.S. J.D. candidates. Both programs will give SACL a real role in American legal education.

At the same time as teaching American law, SACL also aims to meet needs for American legal expertise in China that arise in legal academia, legislative and judicial circles, and legal practice, through the research activities of its faculty and by acting as consultant to relevant government entities.