Legal Studies

Law is often imagined as a mass of written documents containing intricate and arcane language, which is usually manipulated by lawyers and judges. This course expands this imagery by exploring the impact of legal practice, defined as a set of techniques deployed by legal professionals, in relation to our daily life. The course first surveys the historical underpinnings of legal practice, devoting special attention to the study of its Roman and Medieval manifestations. Moreover, it reflects upon the impact of legal professionals and legal techniques in the organization of geographical spaces, group membership, behavior control, and economic production. The course also discusses the tensions between legal pluralism and the centralization of legal authority promoted by the nation-State, as well as introduces the use of legal technique as tools for resistance and change.

In this introductory course, students study the mechanisms of the UK constitution and experience of understanding and applying legal texts, including landmark cases and statutes. They learn about the institutions of legislating and decision-making in the UK, the rule of law, and the judicial protection of the rule of law, alongside a specialist topic reflecting topical current research experience from UCL’s Faculty of Laws, such as environmental law, law and democracy, or social welfare law. This course provides a taster of legal education at university level, which at UCL Laws focuses on how world-leading research and a deeply inclusive law school can support a strong social mission and a set of values centered around the concept of justice: particularly the rule of law, the protection of human rights, and constitutional democracy.

The migration crisis, the independence of the judiciary, the right to integrity, attacks on secularism, the debate on the end of life, restrictions on the right to demonstrate: these are just some of the current debates that call freedoms into question. Because freedoms are always on the move, always progressing, always under threat, this course, through the study of major current debates, examines the state of freedoms in France today, their limits, the conditions under which they are exercised, and the ways in which they are protected. By focusing on the study of fundamental freedoms and their protection mechanisms, this course masters the main legal concepts, develops legal reasoning and a good knowledge of French and European jurisdictional architecture.

This course introduces the Swiss legal order and the various branches of law. It covers the basic concerns and terminology of lawyers; basic knowledge of contract law; how to read and understand legal provisions, in particular the Code of obligations; and how to identify legal problems in a case study and to develop the reasoning of such problems.

This course explores the causes of the paradigm shift in the relations between human and non-human beings. It focuses on moral and political theories and on their implementation in the law of the European Union and European member states. Legislation and case law are critically assessed in light of the relevant international rules. Particular attention is paid to the protection of endangered species; the legal regulation of the breeding and slaughter for consumption of non-human beings; the abusive practices of bio-medical research, cosmetic testing, sports and entertainment; the treatment of pets; and the deliberate extinction of undesirable non-human beings. The course discusses the contribution of the activist movements to the prohibition of cruel traditions (foie gras, corrida, fur industry, cosmetics). It focuses on the recent approaches towards a “global animal law” as a matter of global justice and on the project “1 HEALTH”. Lastly, the course offers an overview of the relations between human and non-human beings in art history, of the animals’ symbolism, and of the transition “from aesthetics to ethics."

International economic law is a branch of international law governing a number of economic phenomena, such as international trade and investment. The course focuses on the study of intergovernmental institutional frameworks covering the circulation of goods, services, capital, and labor. It discusses institutions such as the World Trade Organization, the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes, and the Bretton Woods institutions. Furthermore, it introduces normative instruments such as the WTO Multilateral Trade Agreements (GATT, GATS, and TRIPS) and the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement negotiations. The course also explores the international regulation of capital and labor, as well as introduces the private governance of international economic relations.

Why is it so difficult for the international community to agree on the governance of shared global domains? Why do efforts to address climate change constantly fall short? And why do Global Commons provide States with an opportunity to exploit finite resources, but impose few obligations to clean up the mess? The answers to some of those questions lie in the international frameworks established since WWII to govern "Global Commons" including Antarctica, Outer Space, the Deep Sea Bed, the High Seas, and the atmosphere, which provide freedom of access and use to all States, but few mechanisms for precaution and sustainability. These global commons are protected from claims of national sovereignty, and generally prohibit use of nuclear weapons in these spaces, serving a critical role in disarmament. This course examines contemporary issues in these five Global Commons at the intersection of international law, science, mining, telecommunications, security, and defense. Students learn how to navigate and apply the treaties governing each of the domains to contemporary issues while considering economic and political theory, such as Hardin's "Tragedy of the Commons," intergenerational equity and sustainability. By studying the governance of all five domains in the one semester, students gain high-level insight into what governance models work best and where regulatory gaps remain. Solutions are to be found in some domains that might be applied to others. Students have the opportunity to research one specific domain of their choosing for their written paper, and propose new regulation and policy in order to address international challenges. This equips students with the ability to advocate for change and support the global community in realizing the benefits of shared international spaces. Students develop an understanding of: the geopolitical history of the Antarctic Treaty (1959), the Outer Space Treaty (1967), the Sea Bed Treaty (1971) aka the Sea Bed Arms Control Treaty, the High Seas Treaty (2023) aka The Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC); the international framework governing activities in each of these five Global Commons; the application of ethics and theory to the governance of Global Commons; the application of principles in the relevant treaties to real-life case studies; the political forces shaping EU and international policy in these domains; the risk to global peace and security from arms races and over exploitation in these domains.

Why study criminology? It deals with one of the major social issues of our time- crime and punishment. The study of criminology introduces students to some key elements and thinkers of the Western intellectual tradition. Philosophers and sociologists have informed the development of various theories on criminology and why people commit crime. Familiarity with such theories and thinkers is an important part of one’s general legal education. The materials for the course are sociological in nature. There are no cases or statutes to be studied or analyzed. However, the criminological theories examined are related back to the Irish criminal justice system to determine the relevance of these theories to crime in Ireland.