COMPARATIVE AFRICAN LAW 310

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course offers a comparative study of African social and legal institutions, with emphasis on native customary law and practices as they interact with constitutional, statutory and Islamic laws.  It includes a review of the African chieftaincy or kingship system and its relationship to the monarchial and presidential system; sources of African-customary law; chiefly and cephalous societies; jurisdictional issues in native customary matters, and specific challenges and features of tribal administration in Liberia. Other topics explored in this course include tribal loyalty to the national government; the doctrine of the “repugnancy test”; remedies under African laws for civil and criminal wrongdoing; African concept of property; declaration of title to land; marriage; children, divorce; and status of African women.