Teacher(s)
Language
French
Main themes
Law, as a body of rules and as a discipline, has a complex relationship with social practices and institutions, one of influence, interaction and opposition. The law is always the product of a specific social, political and economic context, but once it has been established, it determines and constrains the choices and behaviour of social actors. It can also be a powerful instrument for transforming society, and can be used to achieve shared goals.
The main aim of this course is to make students aware of this complex relationship between law and society. The aim is to help them enrich their technical knowledge of positive law, as taught in most of the courses on the curriculum, with an understanding of the strengths and limitations of law as a crucial component of society, in order to equip them for their role as citizens in the face of contemporary challenges.
Initially, the course aims to familiarise students with the different ways in which it is possible to reflect on the place of law in contemporary societies.
The aim of this first part of the course is to introduce students to different currents of study that approach the law from a contextual and interdisciplinary perspective and thus provide theoretical tools for thinking about the role of the law and lawyers in societies undergoing radical change.
In the second part of the course, students are encouraged to apply the reflective and critical tools learned in the first part of the course to a number of themes corresponding to important contemporary issues for human societies.
The aim is to get students to think about the role of the law and those involved in the law in relation to current social issues.The course therefore also includes a forward-looking dimension.
This is a cross-disciplinary course open to inter-disciplinarity, which follows on from and is consistent with the cross-disciplinary courses already on the programme:
- Introduction to law (LDROI 1001) and (LDROI 1002)
- History of law (LDROI 1004)
- Theory of law and contemporary legal thought (LDROI 1308)
- Legal Ethics (LDROI 1309)
- Legal Research Methodology (LDROI 2150)
- Sociology of Law (LDROP 2152)
The main aim of this course is to make students aware of this complex relationship between law and society. The aim is to help them enrich their technical knowledge of positive law, as taught in most of the courses on the curriculum, with an understanding of the strengths and limitations of law as a crucial component of society, in order to equip them for their role as citizens in the face of contemporary challenges.
Initially, the course aims to familiarise students with the different ways in which it is possible to reflect on the place of law in contemporary societies.
The aim of this first part of the course is to introduce students to different currents of study that approach the law from a contextual and interdisciplinary perspective and thus provide theoretical tools for thinking about the role of the law and lawyers in societies undergoing radical change.
In the second part of the course, students are encouraged to apply the reflective and critical tools learned in the first part of the course to a number of themes corresponding to important contemporary issues for human societies.
The aim is to get students to think about the role of the law and those involved in the law in relation to current social issues.The course therefore also includes a forward-looking dimension.
This is a cross-disciplinary course open to inter-disciplinarity, which follows on from and is consistent with the cross-disciplinary courses already on the programme:
- Introduction to law (LDROI 1001) and (LDROI 1002)
- History of law (LDROI 1004)
- Theory of law and contemporary legal thought (LDROI 1308)
- Legal Ethics (LDROI 1309)
- Legal Research Methodology (LDROI 2150)
- Sociology of Law (LDROP 2152)
Learning outcomes
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
| - understand the specific role played by the law in driving, accompanying or resisting social change; - identify the diversity of levers offered by the law to promote social justice, as well as the limitations of legal tools in this respect; - transpose theoretical reflections on the role of the law to specific themes characteristic of the evolution of human societies; - formulate well-founded critical positions and forward-looking reflections, drawing on a wide range of legal resources; - give meaning to their educational and personal career plans, taking into account the role played by law in changing societies. |
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Content
The course is structured coherently and comprises:
The three course instructors will jointly welcome the students at the beginning of the course and will seek, at the end of the course, to provide a cross-cutting synthesis.
- a solid theoretical framework, addressing in particular debates on the role of law in social change, the use of law by social movements, and the evolving role of judges in contemporary democracies;
- two thematic blocks:
- one focusing on private and family life (general developments, gender and illiberalism, transhumanism, alternative to traditional family life, etc.);
- the other focusing on economic and social life (general developments, the platform economy, essential services, the commons, care, etc.).
The three course instructors will jointly welcome the students at the beginning of the course and will seek, at the end of the course, to provide a cross-cutting synthesis.
Teaching methods
Each part of the course includes guest speakers, who may be either practitioners or individuals with particular expertise in one of the issues addressed in the course.
Evaluation methods
The course will be assessed by means of a closed-book written examination held during the examination session.
Faculty or entity
