Legal Studies

This course provides, to citizens of a society under the rule of law, an understanding of their rights and obligations, and examines how to learn to act in accordance with the law while protecting their legal rights. It also covers how to respect the rights of others, how to handle their relationship with others and society, and how to play a positive role in the process of social rule of law.

This course draws on the essence of jurisprudence, constitutional law, administrative law, civil law, marriage and family law, criminal law and procedural law, and is designed with students as rights subjects and social masters. Its main content revolves around the rule of law, citizenship and rights, and how to take those rights seriously.

The protection of the global environment has become one of the major challenges of the international system. This course explores the main concepts and principles of international environmental law. It examines how international environmental law has emerged and developed, in particular by emphasizing the role and contribution of international courts and tribunals. The course also deals specifically with the legal regimes that have been shaped in order to preserve the global environment in different fields. With the emergence of the concept of sustainable development, international environmental law is now at the crossroads of different regimes. In this context, the course analyzes the relationship between international environmental law and international trade and/or investment law as well as the relationship between international environmental law and human rights.

This course examines the basic elements of public international law. Special attention is given to the historical and dynamic characteristics of the juridical order, with a particular focus on the Spanish legal system.

The course provides a foundation to the study of law. Before any in-depth analysis of any type of law subject, one needs to have a fundamental understanding of how the legal system works and of the basic legal vocabulary involved. This first part of this course provides students with this knowledge, paying particular attention to five topics:
the constitution, the legislation, EU law, the Irish courts system, and access to the courts.

The course covers the basic concepts, principles, purpose, and characteristics of marriage and family and inheritance law. It discusses problems in practice using empirical analysis. Topics include the kinship, institution of marriage, adoption, and inheritance.

This course explores theories of justice. It does this by engaging in a discussion with one of the most rewarding authors on how to interpret and understand theories of justice: Michael J. Sandel. In JUSTICE. WHAT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO? he introduces a selective number of theories of justice, from classical to modern and contemporary thinkers that can be used to better understand contested issues such as surrogate motherhood, equal rights, obligations regarding poverty eradication, and all kinds of everyday ethical dilemmas. The book of Sandel is supplemented with texts that highlight, criticize, or complement elements of the ethical theories as presented by Sandel. The course exists of a series of lectures as well as a series of seminars, meant to discuss and reflect upon the themes discussed in the book and the additional texts.

This course introduces non-law students to international law rules, dispute resolution institutions, and procedures. The course is composed of theoretical and practical elements to help students with no previous legal knowledge familiarize themselves with various underlying issues of international law.  Class activities include reading cases; redacting simple legal documents, and participating in mock trials (dependent on class number/size).