Comparative law in the faculty of law, university of Indonesia: Course content and teaching methods

The classic method of teaching comparative law produces students who depend only on course materials. They may gain knowledge of different aspects of the laws and legal systems of various other countries, but find it difficult to conduct research and write on comparative law independently. This paper discusses comparative law teaching methods by examining the experience of teaching comparative criminal law in the Master's Programme in Law at the Faculty of Law, Universitas Indonesia. Although it was once sufficient for students to understand comparative law and some aspects of criminal law, the course's learning outcomes have since changed: students are also expected to have the ability to conduct research and write on comparative law upon completing the course. For this shift to take root, several changes are necessary: first, students must become more active in their learning and do more than just receive knowledge passively from course materials provided by their lecturers; second, students should seek out more reference materials beyond the syllabus and learn to use libraries and online databases more effectively; and third, students must improve their mastery of English and other languages, if possible.