Course Description

This course aims to explore the kinds of dispute resolution systems developed and implemented using new and emerging digital technologies. The course also deals with the challenges and complexities these tools bring to the notion of justice and our capacity to resolve, manage, and prevent conflict by addressing the following problems: What can we learn about dispute resolution from processes incorporating digital technologies? What are the implications of digitizing justice? How can lessons from online dispute resolution (ODR) inform a legal field where technology is more ubiquitous? What are the costs and benefits of using big data, artificial intelligence, and blockchain technologies, among others, as supportive tools for managing conflict? To delve into these questions, the course will be structured for everyone to collaboratively think about these topics and invite international pioneers in the field to share their visions and the obstacles they encounter in digitizing justice and in the broader ODR field.

To tackle these inquiries, the course proposes a comprehensive framework comprising of three levels: architectural, ethical, and regulatory approaches. The architectural approach delves into how the design of digital justice and ODR influence the outcomes of decisions. By considering justice as a spatial concept, we recognize that the design choices made will impact the inclusivity of participation, the methods employed, and the range of disputes that can be deliberated within such spaces. The ethical approach examines matters pertaining to professional ethics, moral philosophy, and political theory. Our understanding of ethics extends beyond mere design considerations. It delves into broader questions, such as how ODR and digital justice systems should be structured to uphold preferred moral values (e.g., independence, transparency, autonomy, and equality). Additionally, we explore the ethical challenges that may arise with the digitizing dispute resolution and with the expansion of ODR to manage various disputes in society.

The prevalent narrative is that COVID-19 compelled courts, online platforms, and businesses to create ways of resolving and preventing conflicts without requiring in-person processes. The course challenges this narrative by exploring dispute system design principles with digital technologies before the pandemic occurred. Particularly, we will explore the emergence of ODR in e-commerce (e.g. eBay), online community-based dispute resolution (e.g. Wikipedia dispute resolution model), the blockchain model of online dispute resolution (e.g. Kleros), content moderation in social media as a dispute system design problem (e.g. Facebook Oversight Board), and algorithmic decision-making models (e.g. AI-based justice). The course will unpack the benefits of using these technologies in pursuit of justice and the potential trade-offs involved.

This course is a laboratory to expand the imagination of how legal services and adjudication is working now via digital technologies and how it will work in the future.

Course Delivery

Classes will be delivered Monday - Friday, betwen 5pm-6pm.

Assessment

The assessment will consist of a research paper and an oral presentation.

Students must take at least 4 credits to be full-time and maintain their F-1 student visa status. Therefore, this course cannot be taken on its own and must be combined with Introduction to U.S. Law.

Upon successful completion of the course, students who complete a minimum of 4 credits can apply to receive 6 ANU units of unspecified law elective credit.

Course Description

This course provides a general introduction to the fundamental principles and distinctive aspects of the U.S. legal system and its institutions. We will begin by studying foundational concepts such as sources of law, precedent and common law reasoning, and the allocation of governmental powers. The course will also introduce you to the U.S. adversarial system, the role of the legal profession, the criminal justice system, and civil litigation. Finally, students will learn the core principles of a few key substantive fields, including contracts, torts, and property. Students may also visit the Judiciary History Center and attend live court hearings, schedule permitting.

Course Delivery

Each class session will involve a mix of teaching methods, including lectures, exercises, and hands-on group discussions. Additional class time may be scheduled for students electing to write a paper and deliver an oral presentation.

Assessment

Students taking the course for 3 credits will be required to take a self-scheduled multiple-choice exam. Students taking the course for 4 credits will be required to submit a final paper of 4,000 to 6,000 words. Papers may address any topic in American law, and comparative perspectives are encouraged. The course will be graded on a credit/no credit basis.

Students must take at least 4 credits to be full-time and maintain their F-1 student visa status.

Upon successful completion of the course, students who complete a minimum of 4 credits can apply to receive 6 ANU units of unspecified law elective credit.

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After being admitted in the program, the University of Hawaiʻi Law School will work with students who need an I-20 for their visa application in order to attend in-person classes. The following will be required for the F-1 student Visa application:

• I-20 request form and copy of passport*
• proof of financial support
• health clearance
• proof of health insurance

*Applicants must ensure that they have a current valid passport and eligible to travel overseas before applying for this opportunity.

More information the Student Visa and I-20 form can be found here.

2026 Tuition fees

• Tuition $971 per credit
• Student Admin Fee: $87 per summer session
• Students must take at least 4 credits
• Total: $3,971 USD

More information on Summer Sessions Tuition and Fees can be found international students here.

Accommodation

Housing is a 5-minute walk from the Law school and is provided by East-West Center (EWC)

Accommodation costs are USD $26 per night for double occupancy or USD $37 per night for single occupancy. For an 18-night stay, the total comes to $468 USD for double occupancy, or $666 USD for single occupancy (18 nights).

Students wishing to book accommodation at the East-West Center must complete the Special Housing Application online form, submitted directly to EWC.

Please note that the application for admission to the Hawai‘i Summer Law Program and the application for University housing are separate processes. Admission to one does not guarantee admission to the other.

Additional on-campus and off-campus housing information is available on the Student Housing Services website.

For more information, contact intlaw@hawaii.edu

Financial support

The ANU College of Law, Governance and Policy will not be providing any financial assistance for this opportunity.

ANU will however provide travel insurance for the duration of this opportunity.

Other information

Additional costs may involve textbooks and transportation costs.

Each student is responsible for arranging their own flights, transport and accommodations in Hawai‘i.

More information can be found on The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Law School international students page.

Travel Dates

Successful applicants will be expected to arrive in Hawai’i by 21 June 2026.

Both courss will run between 22 June 2026 to 10 July 2026 (18 days)

We invite interested students to join our free Zoom information session to learn more about our program. Faculty staff of the The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa – Law school will give a brief overview of the class and the registration/I-20 process followed by an open Q&A.

• Date and Time Hawaiʻi time (HST): Tuesday, 17 February 2026, 12pm (noon) - 1pm
• Date and Time Canberra time (AEDT): Wednesday, 18 February 2026, 9am - 10am
• Contact: email intlaw@hawaii.edu for the Zoom link