Steven Gallagher is a Professional Consultant, Professor of Practice in Law (by courtesy), and Associate Dean (Academic & Student Affairs). Steven has taught various aspects of property law in England and Hong Kong. In 2013, Steven introduced the Principles of Art, Antiquities, Cultural Heritage and the Law course to the LLM programme at CUHK LAW. Steven presents a range of continuing professional development courses for solicitors in Hong Kong on topics in property law, art law, and law and technology. Steven’s research interests include issues in property law, legal history, the development of policy and law intended to promote and protect art, antiquities and cultural heritage, law and technology, and innovative ways to teach law. The latter includes using superhero films for problem based learning, flipped classrooms and digital learning initiatives promoting asynchronous and distance learning. Steven has been widely quoted in newspapers and television reports regarding legal issues involving art and cultural heritage.
The Avengers and the Law: Using Superhero Films to Assist Students in Transitioning and Developing their Learning Skills to Study Law at University Studies
Abstract:
Engagement is the key to success in university studies at any time- and with online learning more than ever. Law students often find it difficult to engage with their studies. As Maranville has noted, “Many law students are so bored by the second year that their attendance, preparation, and participation decline precipitously”. This failure to engage may be exacerbated by the way the common law is usually taught. Law teachers often use cases that are old and alien to the students’ lives, particularly first year undergraduates. Further, law schools traditionally teach law in discrete subjects rather than as a holistic discipline. Law is broken down into manageable chunks because law as a whole is considered too difficult and challenging. Unfortunately, this makes it difficult for students to understand why each subject is relevant and how their subjects fit together. This paper will briefly explain a teaching project which uses a familiar and popular medium to engage those transitioning from high school to university studies to encourage engagement and holistic understanding of law. This is a transitional course based on superhero films and the superhero universe. The course reverses the usual teaching of law by introducing law as a holistic discipline, asking the students to identify potential legal issues- problems they think the law should deal with- and then considering how the law should deal with these problems.