Legal Studies

The course provides a general overview of the U.S. legal system. It introduces students to the concept of common law and covers constitutional law (incl. the legislative process and its political implications), the U.S. court system as well as selected areas of substantive and procedural U.S. law, such as contracts, torts, criminal, and corporate law. The course is taught through a combination of lectures and in-class discussions and encourages active participation in order to acquire and practice legal terminology.

This course covers gender issues such as employment discrimination, sexual harassment, and reproductive rights. The course explores how feminist legal theory has questioned the way the law is constructed and applied according to certain stereotypical views of sexual identity and the roles of women. The seminar also investigates how queer theory has influenced the legal field by rejecting traditional gender identities which do not fully encompass the issues that concern the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, transsexual population. Students use a comparative perspective to consider what can be learned from these different legal standpoints as we encounter changes in family law and employment law, how queer theory influences gender law, and what might be new ways to consider legal concepts such as consent, personal autonomy, and discrimination.

This course offers a study of the status of foreign nationals and immigration in Spain. Topics include: migration, sustainability, and social cohesion; migrant women and cultural diversity; the role of public powers in matters of nationality, foreign nationals, and immigration policies; Spanish nationality and its impact on foreign nationals and immigration; the rights and freedoms of foreign nationals; laws regulating the status of foreign national in Spain; penalties for violations of immigration law.

The course presents the basic theoretical knowledge of contract law; the main problems in contract practice; how to judge the legal effect and legal relationship status in contract practice; and how to make basic judgments on the nature of contract disputes; analyze and resolve common problems in contract disputes. The content of the course includes basic principles of contract law, legal rules for contract formation, legal rules and practices for contract validity, performance of contracts, change and transfer of contracts, termination of contracts, and liability for breach of contract.

The course focuses on substantive criminal law: defining crimes, basic concepts in criminal law, the general principles of criminal liability, different defenses, and types of criminal offence. Students become familiar with the basic principles underlying the Irish system of criminal law and with the basic aspects of the criminal court process. Students are encouraged to think critically and analytically about the rules, judgments, and legislation that are studied during the course.