Legal Studies

This advanced international relations course focuses on the European Union and its role on the international scene. It provides an overview of EU foreign policy in its variety. It addresses in particular the legal and policy framework of the EU external action providing an analysis of the competences and tools available to the EU to conduct its foreign policy, such as the conclusion of international agreements and the participation of the EU to other international organizations. The course also covers specific policies in which the EU plays an important role, such as Common Commercial Policy (CCP) and Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). The interaction between the EU and other international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization is also studied. This course has a strong focus on EU law; prerequisite knowledge of EU government branches and EU law is recommended.

This course introduces the basis of privately run maritime trade; the threats faced by ship owners, ports, and seafarers; and the systems in place to protect them. It tells the story of mercantile trade on the world's seas focusing on the modernization and formalization of the merchant fleet in the 20th and 21st centuries; its governing systems under UN agreements; and its practical business considerations versus the geopolitical priorities of governments and the intentions of criminals and terrorists to profit from shipping's loss, from gray zone aggression to kidnaps at sea. The course draws upon international maritime law and trade agreements, international business standards, and national level government policies. Throughout, it maintains a practical approach on what these issues mean for the seafarer, the ship owner, the policy maker, and the consumer to illustrate the real-life impact of maritime polices – and the very real impact when there are no policies – as well as the career paths available in the maritime sector.

This course connects fashion to law through different expanses. It offers an analytical and critical perspective by indulging in the creative intricacies of the fashion industry to applying it to the rigid, robust nature of politics and law. It covers law and civil rights from the 18th to 21st century through key expressions of fashion, gender law, environmental and sustainability law, intellectual property, new technologies, social and labor law.

Equality is a value that commands wide support and it is commonly guaranteed by national constitutions and human rights instruments. Yet differences emerge over the appropriate role for law in combating discrimination and when equality demands the same treatment or recognition of diversity. The enduring salience of equality has been reflected in social movements, such as MeToo or Black Lives Matter. Students examine Equality Law from a national, international, and comparative perspective. The course introduces students to the legal framework on equality found in Irish Law and European Law (EU and ECHR). It examines key topics, such as the prohibited grounds of discrimination, the forms of discrimination prohibited by the law, and the role for law in promoting equality.

This course provides a platform for new thinking about international legal and institutional arrangements in the world of an urgent need for responsibility for the future. It also presents what role the United States and Europe play in this process. It considers whether global governance - a dynamic process in which legal, political, and economical arrangements unleash interests, change the balance of force, and lead to further reinvention of the governance scheme itself - and wider responsibility are possible.

This course considers international law's dynamics in the modern world and delves into some of the pressing structural, institutional, and thematic challenges of the international legal order. It explores the potential and risks posed by evolving norms, new actors, and failing institutions. It also critically studies the capacity of international norms, international institutions, and judicial bodies to deal with global issues like climate change and environmental protection, the right to self-defense, peacekeeping, human rights and democracy, and international criminal justice. This course provides important legal knowledge, both in terms of concepts and methods, to hone analytical and problem-solving skills.

This course introduces both the fundamentals of child protection systems in Europe and the way international humanitarian work incorporates child protection mechanisms in developing countries. It covers how the supranational governance of humanitarian organizations, the EU, and states construct their child protection policies and set political agendas. The seminar combines conceptual tools, historical insights, and empirical evidence to investigate the evolution of child protection policies in the context of economic, environmental, and security crises and is divided in two parts: European child protection political agenda; and international humanitarian work and child protection policies in West Africa. Classes are partly discussion-based and include moderated group debates and student oral presentations. The course imparts practical skills and strategies to policy-related issues from first hand experiences in service delivery and policy-making.

This course deals with fundamental issues of constitutional law in postwar Japan. Japan has had two written constitutions so far. One was the Constitution of the Empire of Japan, or the Meiji Constitution, which was promulgated on February 11, 1889, and put into effect on November 29, 1890. The other is the Constitution of Japan, the current Constitution, which was promulgated on November 3, 1946, and became effective on May 3, 1947.  

The goal is to understand the basic constitutional framework in modern Japan and the constitutional practices of postwar Japan, and to attain insight into the challenges current Japanese society is facing. The course covers the following topics: a comparison between the two constitutional frameworks; judicial review and protecting rights, equality, religious freedom and separation of religion and state; voting rights and the electoral process; freedom of expression, family law, and Article 9 and the peace state. 

The course gives an introduction to the subject of Sociology of Law, its history, and its position in the knowledge field between Law and society. The structure, contents, and organization of the Legal System are presented at a general level. The subject Sociology of Law introduces legal questions of relevance to understand the subject Sociology of Law as well as basic scientific theoretical and methodological perspectives. This course provides the history and knowledge field of Sociology of Law and Law and society. The theory of Science, Social theory, structure, contents, and organization of the Legal System are reviewed.

This course examines key features and processes of criminal justice institutions, crime justice policy and practice, and addresses contemporary debates about crime in relation to substantive areas, such as gender, race, ethnicity, and youth offending.