Legal Studies

This course provides a study of the principles of civil and commercial law relating to torts, management of affairs without mandate, and undue enrichment under the Civil and Commercial Code. Other relevant topics encompassed in this course are product liability law, environmental protection law, and contemporary problems regarding the application of these laws.  

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. The course is divided into three parts:

A) The first part (Sociology of Law) is delivered in person. The students survey the main classic and contemporary approaches to the sociology of law: the focus is on the classic integration theories and theories of conflict: in particular, the Durkheimian, Weberian, and Marxist approaches are analyzed.

B) In the middle part, which takes place online, the students explore topics such as: recent theories on moral reasoning, affective primacy, and confirmative thought as keys to understand the human behavior in the digital dimension; aggressivity in the online arena against the individual (e.g. cyberbullying, revenge porn) and against groups (e.g. call out culture, hate speech, and use of memes); polarization and echo chambers.

C) In the last part, which is delivered in person again, the three main conceptions developed in the philosophy of law—namely, natural law theory, legal positivism, and legal realism—are presented, emphasizing their theoretical implications; then, some contemporary trends (such as legal feminism) are introduced and discussed, also in connection with the traditional views.

At the end of the course, students: know the history of legal philosophy thanks to the development, during the course unit, of a thematic analysis centered on fundamental theoretical problems and argumentative patterns designed to resolve those issues also under a perspective approach; know the classical and contemporary theoretical-sociological debate on the function of law, the relationship between social and legal norms, the social nature of the concepts of status and role; are capable to deal with problems of theoretical and legal nature, in a logical manner and by relying on a solid argumentation, and to discuss those problems in an interactive way by efficiently communicating the advantages of multiple their multiple structures and issues.

This course covers the following specific forms of tort litigation and the corresponding respective legal rules, legal principles and public policies: unlawful infringement of land, unlawful infringement of movables, unlawful infringement of person, intrusion, reputational damage, negligence law, statutory tort liability, tort liability for dangerous premises, defective product liability, strict liability, liability for animal harm, domestic tort liability, economic tort liability, fraud and harmful lies, abuse of legal proceedings, etc. On this basis, this course will also discuss legal theory, including the moral theory of tort law, the political theory of tort law, the economic theory of tort law, and the feminist theory of tort law.

This course is launched by the Center for Studies in Politics and Law and Hong Kong Bar Association, lectured by practicing lawyers who have been practicing common law in Hong Kong for a long time.This course is to introduce students to the common law tradition and the legal systems in the common law world; and to examine common law principles, the doctrine of precedent and the rules of natural justice.The lectures will be given through case study, group discussion and moot arbitration. After all the lectures, excellent students in this course will be provided with an opportunity to visit Hong Kong.

This course introduces international tax law with an emphasis on the problems around double taxation.  

The course covers types of international transactions which are subject to taxation under the Thai Revenue Code, and the different forms of international corporation on the avoidance of double taxation.  

This course introduces students to the subject of Criminology through the lens of the Scottish Criminal Justice System. It begins with an overview of the Scottish Criminal Justice System before examining the major avenues by which the public obtain information about crime – as victims of crime and from the media and official statistics. The course examines the processes that have developed Scotland's definitions of crime and the broader social and political context in which this crime occurs.

International criminal justice is at a crossroads. On the one hand, we now have an unprecedented ability to prosecute individuals accused of torture, genocide, and crimes against humanity both domestically and internationally, emblematic of the extent to which these kinds of prosecutions have become normalized over the last seventy years. On the other hand, more and more countries have raised concerns about the efficacy and fairness of international criminal prosecutions, arguing that they are selective or neo-colonialist, biased, or myopic. This is exemplified by the complex status and reception of the International Criminal Court, alternately lionized and criticized. This course introduces students to these debates and examines the legal and philosophical underpinnings of international criminal law and justice. 

The course aims to help students understand the causes of crime, the fundamental concepts and types of criminal policies, and develop a rational perspective on the role of criminal law and policy. It encourages students to focus on major social issues, enhance their legal awareness, and acquire knowledge for crime prevention, ultimately contributing to a stable and harmonious society.

This course presents the history and the main characteristics of the Japanese legal system. The first part of the course presents the historical background of the Japanese legal system, focusing on the reception of Western law in the Meiji period, and on the consolidation of the legal system in the 20th century. The second part of the course presents several key aspects of current Japanese constitutional law, private law, criminal law and procedure. 

The course considers the nature of deviance, crime, and criminality in South Africa, from both historical and current viewpoints. The following questions are reviewed: How much crime is there in South Africa? Who are the victims of crime and who are the offenders? Why is crime in South Africa so violent? These discussions draw freely from international, criminological debate, and locate those debates within a developing context. The course explores responses to crime in the South African context by considering what has and is being done by the state and non-state to engage with crime? What is the thinking behind (violent) crime control and prevention programmes and initiatives? How effective have these initiatives been? These discussions focus on crime policies that have been developed as well as community and private sector initiatives to address issues of crime and violence. DP requirements: Completion of all written tests, essays and assignments. Assessment: Coursework counts 50% and one two-hour examination counts 50% of the final mark. Course entry requirements: SOC1001F, SOC1005S, or any 1000-level social science course.