Law

Teacher(s)

Bernard Diane; Slingeneyer de Goeswin Thibaut (coordinator);

Language

French

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

This course aims - to provide you with a general knowledge of the legal phenomenon, through your command of the appropriate terminology and your understanding of certain fundamental legal concepts; - you knew the basics of some of the more common branches of law; - to enable you to carry out (simple) legal research, i.e. to handle your collection of legal texts and legal databases effectively, to base your arguments on the relevant legal basis(s). The course is built on the idea that a basic understanding of law is necessary for every citizen, especially for those who intend to undertake university studies. Indeed, law is both a human science with close links to various other disciplines, including those you have chosen to study as your main academic subject, but also a mode of social regulation that is ubiquitous in the political arena and in our private lives.

Content

The course is structured in 4 parts :

1. What is law ?
2. Who are the ‘persons’ entitled to legal rights, and what is the essence of these rights?
3. By what means is law created, and by whom? (In other words, which institutions and individuals are responsible for its production ? - what are the sources of law ?)
4. Who controls the law? (How can conflicts between norms be resolved?)

The "monitorats" are taught by two assistants in dialogue with the professor and cover the same topic with illustrations and hands-on exercises.

Teaching methods

The lecture will introduce the concepts and issues mentioned above and will include interactive exercises.
Slides will be available on Moodle before each session. You will need to supplement these with notes.

Besides the lecture, the "monitoring sessions" will give you the opportunity to do exercises.
Should you have any questions, both the professor and the assistants will be available during the breaks and at the end of their class.

Evaluation methods

The exam will cover everything said in class (even if not featured on the slides), but nothing other than what was said in class (for instance, exercises mentioned in the "monitorats" but not covered by the professor could not be subject of examination).
The evaluation will be in written form (either on site if health conditions permit or via moodle otherwise).   
The use of the "Recueil d'instruments normatifs" is crucial to address the questions and therefore indispensable during the exam.

Other information

The sources are referenced throughout the course, in the slides mentioned above.

The "Recueil de textes normatifs" contains the necessary normative sources ; the use of another document (as the Code Bac) is authorised, but it is your responsibility to ensure that it is up-to-date and that the rule on annotations (see above) is respected.
Attention: Words and passages in the Recueil may be underlined or highlighted, but no annotations are permitted. Any breach of this rule, even a single word, will be considered an irregularity and reported as such to the jury (cf. Règlement général des études et des examens).

Teaching materials

• Recueil de textes normatifs
• Slides

Faculty or entity

ESPB