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Enseignants
Langue
d'enseignement
d'enseignement
Anglais
Préalables
Le(s) prérequis de cette Unité d’enseignement (UE) sont précisés à la fin de cette fiche, en regard des programmes/formations qui proposent cette UE.
Acquis
d'apprentissage
d'apprentissage
A la fin de cette unité d’enseignement, l’étudiant est capable de : | |
| At the end of the seminar, the student should : o have opened his/her mind to the fundamental questions and to a critical reflection of law and legal theory ; o have acquired the capacity to understand texts of legal theory, to summarise them and to discuss them during group debates ; o have addressed a legal issue extensively and from a critical point of view, through the use of positive law and legal theory ; o have written, on that topic, an essay based on personal research and extended bibliography, providing a critical analysis of the question ; o have presented orally to his/her fellow students the result of his/her research ; The Law in Transition Clinic aims to improve the students' legal, practical and reflexive skills. By confronting students with real-life cases, it will strengthen their ability to carry out a thorough, hands-on and comprehensive analysis of a legal issue. By meeting « clients » and writing (advice, submissions, court briefs etc.) for them, the students will also greatly improve their soft skills (speaking, listening and writing skills mainly). Finally, the subject-matter of the Clinic (i.e. the transition toward a post-growth era) will trigger an interdisciplinary reflection on the evolution of our society and on the role that law and lawyers are supposed to play in it. |
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Contenu
This Teaching unit consists of two parts:
- A Seminar in Legal Theory (similar to the seminar that is followed by all the ther students), including the reading and discussion of legal theory texts and the preparation of a final essay in legal theory (or more specifically an analysis of a positive law issue through the lens of legal theory(ies)).
- A Law in Transition Clinic that gives students an opportunity to assist associations, NGO's and other public or private bodies on legal issues relating to the transition toward a more resilient society, from an ecological, a social and an economic standpoint. Students will be asked to carry out legal research, write legal advice and even draft court submissions at the request of the clinic's « clients ». In terms of litigation work, the Clinic has already contributed to filing submissions with the Belgian Council of State, the EU Court of Justice and General Court, the European Court of Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
These two parts are deeply intertwined, both chronologically (students will receive assignments for both the Seminar and the Clinic from the start of the year) and contentwise: they offer complementary approaches (practical and theoretical) to the transition movements and of the post-growth narrative surrounding them.
- A Seminar in Legal Theory (similar to the seminar that is followed by all the ther students), including the reading and discussion of legal theory texts and the preparation of a final essay in legal theory (or more specifically an analysis of a positive law issue through the lens of legal theory(ies)).
- A Law in Transition Clinic that gives students an opportunity to assist associations, NGO's and other public or private bodies on legal issues relating to the transition toward a more resilient society, from an ecological, a social and an economic standpoint. Students will be asked to carry out legal research, write legal advice and even draft court submissions at the request of the clinic's « clients ». In terms of litigation work, the Clinic has already contributed to filing submissions with the Belgian Council of State, the EU Court of Justice and General Court, the European Court of Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
These two parts are deeply intertwined, both chronologically (students will receive assignments for both the Seminar and the Clinic from the start of the year) and contentwise: they offer complementary approaches (practical and theoretical) to the transition movements and of the post-growth narrative surrounding them.
Méthodes d'enseignement
The teaching method is based on continuous assessment, making student attendance compulsory during sessions and oral presentations.
Legal theory seminar
Seminar sessions are held in person, and students take handwritten notes, as the use of computers is not permitted.
The texts to be read are made available to students according to the methods chosen by the lecturers, via the Moodle website and/or in a collection of texts available from the SVIB course materials department.
Students must write a handwritten reading note summarising the texts provided, identifying the key issues or ideas that particularly interest them. These notes are an essential working tool for discussions during the sessions and must be brought to each class.
Preparation and active participation in the sessions are compulsory and will be assessed. In the event of absence, whether justified or not, students are still required to submit their preparation notes to the teacher responsible.
As regards the final essay:
Legal theory seminar
Seminar sessions are held in person, and students take handwritten notes, as the use of computers is not permitted.
The texts to be read are made available to students according to the methods chosen by the lecturers, via the Moodle website and/or in a collection of texts available from the SVIB course materials department.
Students must write a handwritten reading note summarising the texts provided, identifying the key issues or ideas that particularly interest them. These notes are an essential working tool for discussions during the sessions and must be brought to each class.
Preparation and active participation in the sessions are compulsory and will be assessed. In the event of absence, whether justified or not, students are still required to submit their preparation notes to the teacher responsible.
As regards the final essay:
- there is at least one opportunity for students to discuss their individual research with the teacher at a time during the second term set by the teacher before the course suspension period (for the 2025-2026 academic year, this period runs from Monday 20 April to Saturday 2 May 2026);
- the written assignment must be submitted on Moodle on the last day of the period of suspension of classes.
- several oral defence sessions of personal research work will be organised in small groups of students to allow for collective discussions about the research carried out; these sessions take place after the period of suspension of classes but before the end of the second term.
Law clinic
Students will be given assignments depending on the cases that are submitted to the clinic. These assignments can include documentary research, the drafting of a legal opinion or the preparation of a trial brief. Assignments are usually carried out in groups. Students will usually have to carry out several assignments across the year.
Artificial Intelligence
The teacher may use one or more artificial intelligence tools (in particular ‘ChatGPT’) in his teaching in order to familiarise students with the benefits and limitations of this type of tool. While the use of artificial intelligence tools is encouraged in the seminar, students are expected to use them responsibly in accordance with the document ‘Responsible Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence,’ approved by the Faculty Council. Students are required to sign an ‘integrity pledge’ to this effect and to submit it together with their final essay.
- the written assignment must be submitted on Moodle on the last day of the period of suspension of classes.
- several oral defence sessions of personal research work will be organised in small groups of students to allow for collective discussions about the research carried out; these sessions take place after the period of suspension of classes but before the end of the second term.
Law clinic
Students will be given assignments depending on the cases that are submitted to the clinic. These assignments can include documentary research, the drafting of a legal opinion or the preparation of a trial brief. Assignments are usually carried out in groups. Students will usually have to carry out several assignments across the year.
Artificial Intelligence
The teacher may use one or more artificial intelligence tools (in particular ‘ChatGPT’) in his teaching in order to familiarise students with the benefits and limitations of this type of tool. While the use of artificial intelligence tools is encouraged in the seminar, students are expected to use them responsibly in accordance with the document ‘Responsible Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence,’ approved by the Faculty Council. Students are required to sign an ‘integrity pledge’ to this effect and to submit it together with their final essay.
Modes d'évaluation
des acquis des étudiants
des acquis des étudiants
In this course, assessment is continuous throughout the year. There is therefore no exam in the first session; the assessment methods for the second session are different and are specified below.
The final mark is the average between the mark for the legal clinic (50%) and the mark for the Legal theory seminar (50%).
Clinic
The assessment is based on the written documents submitted by the students in response to their assignments. They may include but are not limited to : (i) a summary of a documentary research; (ii) a legal opinion ; (iii) a draft trial brief; (iv) pleading notes. The mark will depend on the depth, the accuracy and the formal qualities (written expression, structure clarity) of the document. The same mark will typically be given to all the students who coauthored the same document. However, if there is indication of free riding by one or serveral students, these students may be requested to do a separate, indiviudual assignment. The overall mark of the clinic is calculated by combining the marks of all the written documents that the student has contributed.
The mark obtained for the legal clinic in the first session is carried over to the second session.
Seminar
The final mark is the average between the mark for the legal clinic (50%) and the mark for the Legal theory seminar (50%).
Clinic
The assessment is based on the written documents submitted by the students in response to their assignments. They may include but are not limited to : (i) a summary of a documentary research; (ii) a legal opinion ; (iii) a draft trial brief; (iv) pleading notes. The mark will depend on the depth, the accuracy and the formal qualities (written expression, structure clarity) of the document. The same mark will typically be given to all the students who coauthored the same document. However, if there is indication of free riding by one or serveral students, these students may be requested to do a separate, indiviudual assignment. The overall mark of the clinic is calculated by combining the marks of all the written documents that the student has contributed.
The mark obtained for the legal clinic in the first session is carried over to the second session.
Seminar
Assessment is based on three elements:
- preparation and participation in classes (4 points out of 20);
- written work presenting the results of personal research (8 points out of 20);
- oral defence of this work (8 points out of 20).
Preparation and participation in sessions
Preparation and participation in sessions are assessed according to the following criteria: if a student attends without having clearly prepared the texts (no reading notes or inability to participate in discussions due to obvious lack of reading), this will be considered an unjustified absence from the session. Any unprepared participation is therefore considered an absence. In the event of more than one unjustified absence from seminar sessions, the student will be given a failing grade for absence (0A) in the first session, automatically resulting in a move to the second session.
Written assignment
The written assignment must be between 4,500 and 5,000 words in length: this count does not include footnotes, the cover page, the bibliography or the table of contents. The assignment must be submitted at the end of the course suspension period, i.e. on Sunday 3 May 2026 at 11:59 p.m. The date and time of submission on Moodle shall be deemed authentic. If the lecturer also requests a printed version of the written assignment, the printed version must be submitted to the Faculty Administration. If the student submits their work after the buildings have closed, the printed version of their work must be submitted to the Faculty Administration without delay, i.e. on Monday 4 May 2026.
In the event of a justified delay, the deadline for submitting the written work may be extended by a number of days equivalent to the interval between the start date of the justification and the originally scheduled submission date, up to a maximum of 10 days. In this case, the teacher may also change the student’s assignment to an oral defence group to ensure that the defence can be based on the written work.
In the event of an unjustified delay, a penalty of 2 points will be applied to the total for each 24-hour period commenced. A delay of more than 5 days, the submission of a non-genuine assignment or failure to submit an assignment will result in an absence mark (0A) being awarded for the overall mark.
The assessment of written work is mainly based on the structure of the argument, the formulation of the problem and its relevance, interdisciplinarity, critical thinking, the quality of research, general understanding of the issue and literature, and methodology.
Students must submit, along with their written work, the duly signed document entitled ‘Integrity Pledge’ (engagement d’intégrité). Failure to submit this document will result in a two-point penalty.
The written work will be analysed using the ‘Compilatio’ software to detect plagiarism and content generated by artificial intelligence.
Students are expected to use the referencing system taught within the Faculty for their work; a summary table will be provided at the beginning of the seminar for this purpose. For a specific reason (e.g. related to the subject of the work or the language in which it is written), the teacher may authorise the use of another referencing system (such as APA, Oxford, etc.).
Oral defence of research work
Finally, students will present their personal research during an oral defence.
The oral defence sessions will take place in small groups, in the form of half-days organised after the suspension of classes but before the end of the second term — for the 2025-2026 academic year, between Monday 4 May and Friday 15 May 2026.
Defences may take various forms, but last 20 minutes per student, followed by a 10-minute discussion with the supervisor and other members of the group.
Students are assessed both on the quality of their own presentation and on the relevance of the questions they ask other participants in the group.
Submission of the written work is a prerequisite for admission to the oral defence.
Any unjustified absence from the half-day defence, even if it is the only absence of the year, will result in an absence mark (0A).
In the second session, students must submit a written assignment by Saturday 16 August 2026 at 11:59 pm at the latest, following the same guidelines as those applicable in the first session and present an oral defence of their research to the teacher and, where applicable, in the presence of other students also enrolled in the second session.
If the student has participated in the seminar sessions, the mark awarded for preparation and participation (marked out of 5) is retained. However, in the event of more than one unjustified absence, the student will be required, during their oral defence, to answer a question asked by the teacher on one of the texts in the portfolio, selected at random. This means that they must have worked on all the texts in advance.- preparation and participation in classes (4 points out of 20);
- written work presenting the results of personal research (8 points out of 20);
- oral defence of this work (8 points out of 20).
Preparation and participation in sessions
Preparation and participation in sessions are assessed according to the following criteria: if a student attends without having clearly prepared the texts (no reading notes or inability to participate in discussions due to obvious lack of reading), this will be considered an unjustified absence from the session. Any unprepared participation is therefore considered an absence. In the event of more than one unjustified absence from seminar sessions, the student will be given a failing grade for absence (0A) in the first session, automatically resulting in a move to the second session.
Written assignment
The written assignment must be between 4,500 and 5,000 words in length: this count does not include footnotes, the cover page, the bibliography or the table of contents. The assignment must be submitted at the end of the course suspension period, i.e. on Sunday 3 May 2026 at 11:59 p.m. The date and time of submission on Moodle shall be deemed authentic. If the lecturer also requests a printed version of the written assignment, the printed version must be submitted to the Faculty Administration. If the student submits their work after the buildings have closed, the printed version of their work must be submitted to the Faculty Administration without delay, i.e. on Monday 4 May 2026.
In the event of a justified delay, the deadline for submitting the written work may be extended by a number of days equivalent to the interval between the start date of the justification and the originally scheduled submission date, up to a maximum of 10 days. In this case, the teacher may also change the student’s assignment to an oral defence group to ensure that the defence can be based on the written work.
In the event of an unjustified delay, a penalty of 2 points will be applied to the total for each 24-hour period commenced. A delay of more than 5 days, the submission of a non-genuine assignment or failure to submit an assignment will result in an absence mark (0A) being awarded for the overall mark.
The assessment of written work is mainly based on the structure of the argument, the formulation of the problem and its relevance, interdisciplinarity, critical thinking, the quality of research, general understanding of the issue and literature, and methodology.
Students must submit, along with their written work, the duly signed document entitled ‘Integrity Pledge’ (engagement d’intégrité). Failure to submit this document will result in a two-point penalty.
The written work will be analysed using the ‘Compilatio’ software to detect plagiarism and content generated by artificial intelligence.
Students are expected to use the referencing system taught within the Faculty for their work; a summary table will be provided at the beginning of the seminar for this purpose. For a specific reason (e.g. related to the subject of the work or the language in which it is written), the teacher may authorise the use of another referencing system (such as APA, Oxford, etc.).
Oral defence of research work
Finally, students will present their personal research during an oral defence.
The oral defence sessions will take place in small groups, in the form of half-days organised after the suspension of classes but before the end of the second term — for the 2025-2026 academic year, between Monday 4 May and Friday 15 May 2026.
Defences may take various forms, but last 20 minutes per student, followed by a 10-minute discussion with the supervisor and other members of the group.
Students are assessed both on the quality of their own presentation and on the relevance of the questions they ask other participants in the group.
Submission of the written work is a prerequisite for admission to the oral defence.
Any unjustified absence from the half-day defence, even if it is the only absence of the year, will result in an absence mark (0A).
In the second session, students must submit a written assignment by Saturday 16 August 2026 at 11:59 pm at the latest, following the same guidelines as those applicable in the first session and present an oral defence of their research to the teacher and, where applicable, in the presence of other students also enrolled in the second session.
Ressources
en ligne
en ligne
Legal clinic
The assignments will be allotted through the "homework" tab on Moodle. The background materials for each holmework will also be made available on Moodle. The assignments will to be turned in on Moodle. Any announcement regarding the clinic will be made through Moodle.
Legal theory seminar
The assignments will be allotted through the "homework" tab on Moodle. The background materials for each holmework will also be made available on Moodle. The assignments will to be turned in on Moodle. Any announcement regarding the clinic will be made through Moodle.
Legal theory seminar
On Moodle, students will find the texts to read, as well as he slides used during the sessions and, for information and illustration purposes, links to videos, podcasts or other resources related to the seminar. Students will also have access to links to educational videos produced by the teachers. These videos cover the seminar on legal theory, the use of word processing (Word), tips for researching sources in the social sciences and humanities, and the use of artificial intelligence.
Bibliographie
Pas de bibliographie recommandée
Support de cours
- Collection of readings - BDRAN1351 - Seminar in Legal Theory and Law Clinic
Faculté ou entité
en charge
en charge
