PRL201 | Property Law

Property law is a core course of the curriculum of the B.A. LL.B Programme. The  objective of this course is to build foundational knowledge as regards the law of property.

In the first half of the course, students will be introduced to the concept of “property”, various forms of property, “ownership” and the nature of property/proprietary interests. By the end of the first half of the course, students would be able to appreciate the policies on the basis of which property rules are drafted and the theories used to justify the allocation of property rights between various actors. In addition, the cases that form part of the required reading for the first half of the course would help students develop an understanding as to how certain fact patterns shape the manner in which precedent is developed as regards doctrines of property law.

The first half of the course, as described above, is essential in order to appreciate the doctrines that students will study in advanced courses of the undergraduate programme including intellectual property law, bankruptcy law, the law of trusts and equity, as well as taxation law. It also forms the basis of understanding the topics introduced in the second half the course (namely, transfer, grant and sale; leases; bailment; security interests and mortgage) from a practical perspective. The first half of the course particularly relies on a comparative perspective in order to allow students to appreciate the theoretical basis of property law.

The primary pedagogical method used in this course is the lecture method. However, students are expected to prepare the “Required Readings” for each seminar in advance of the scheduled seminar.