Legal Studies

This course lays the foundations for knowledge of international law and European law, in particular institutional law, with regard to the major questions of the modern international system based on history, on contemporary issues, and by presenting international actors and Europeans. The approach goes beyond the agreed media discourse in order to better understand the fundamental aspects of our international environment of today and tomorrow. Students have to assimilate and understand the major questions of international and European law (sovereignty, integration, notion of global law, status of European law), the different modes of regulation of international relations and know the actors of international and European systems (States, large organizations, European Union institutions) and their relationships with private actors (companies, NGOs, individuals).

This course gives students an understanding of the general principles of the branches of law most relevant to them and, so far as practicable, to set the law in its current commercial context. It is an introductory course, with an emphasis on general principles.

This course begins with the concepts of “citizenship” and “non-citizenship” and then focuses on comparative citizenship, migration law, and the EU Asylum System. The main topics of the course are citizenship and cosmopolitan theories, rules on citizenship and the status of non-citizens in a comparative perspective, general rules on entry and admissions, right to asylum, political refuge and subsidiary protection, rights of unauthorized immigrants, EU citizenship, and EU Common Asylum System. This course also covers the interplay between the EU, the ECHR, and national systems as far as the protection of foreigners is concerned. The course includes a written and individual oral presentation in class, discussion and class participation, and a final written exam. The course strongly recommends that students have already taken courses in constitutional and European law as prerequisites.

This course provides a study and analysis of demographic law and population policies. It examines the evolution of population growth, both in the global and national levels, as well as its political, economic, social, and ecological implications. The course also discusses legal systems that affect the fundamental demographic variables -- fertility, mortality, and migration -- while highlighting Mexican legislation in relation to human rights.

The course presents and introduces comparative law in a global perspective, providing students with an overview of the most important legal traditions of the world. The first part focuses on the meaning of comparative law and introduces basic concepts, such as those of legal traditions, legal transplants and legal pluralism, considering legal globalization as one of the most important developments for contemporary legal studies. The second part deals with the core of the Western legal traditions analyzing the Common law and Civil law archetypical divide. It also analyses mixed legal systems, their distinctive traits and growing importance for comparative legal studies. The meaning of democracy and human rights as Western or universal values is also addressed in this part of the course. The third part broadens the course's comparative spectrum to some of the most important non-Western legal traditions (Sub-Saharan, East-Asian, Talmudic, Islamic and Latin American) and questions the possible reconciliation of legal diversity on a global scale. The course provides students with the opportunities to: better appreciate how cultural, social, and historical factors dialogue and interrelate with the development of legal structures, doctrines, and substantive rules; approach the study of some of the major legal traditions of the world and their contemporary relevance; acquire tools for understanding the impact of globalization on legal and political structures; enhance argumentative and legal analysis skills via class discussion and exchange.

This course provides an introduction to the study of modern international relations from the legal point of view. The course is organized in three parts, following the textbook, “International Law for International Relations.” Part I deals with theoretical perspectives on international relations and international law. In Part II, basic concepts and rules of international law are explained, such as sources of international law, statehood, sovereignty, responsibility. In Part III, major topics of contemporary international law and relations are explained and analyzed. A case study approach is used to explain how legal rules are applied. Text: Basak Cali, INTERNATIONAL LAW FOR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS.

An understanding of the rules governing international commercial transactions is a fundamental tool for professionals practicing in business-related areas. This course offers an in-depth introduction to the regulation of international commercial transactions. While the course focuses on technical legal issues, emphasis is also put on economic and political considerations affecting the regulation of international business. The course is divided into two parts. The first part explores international business transactions and covers the following main topics: international sales of goods and the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods; the documentary sale transaction, commercial terms, and bills of lading and letters of credit; agency and distributorships; licensing distribution or production abroad, and technology transfer; franchising; foreign direct investment; shareholders' agreements; and mergers. The second part of the course examines international trade law and covers the following main topics: international trade, from the GATT to the WTO; GATT non-discrimination principles: MFN and NT; trade in goods (GATT) and trade in services (GATS), and exceptions from WTO free-trade rules; TBT and SPS Agreements, and TRIPs; WTO and Regional Trade Agreements; fair trade and trade remedies: dumping and subsidies; international protection of foreign investments; and EU Commercial Policy: CETA and future developments. Students complete a written finale exam.