Legal Studies

This course develops knowledge and understanding of the international legal system; the main institutions which contribute to the development and application of international law; and the legal rules, principles, and processes which govern key areas of inter-state activity.

This course introduces international law with a focus on the basic theory of contemporary international legal system. Course topics include: the relation between international laws and domestic laws, international legal personality, territorial sovereignty, law of sea, law of air and outer space, international environmental law, international organization, law of war, and humanitarian law. The course teaches international law by use of original legal materials such as international treaties and cases of International Court of Justice (ICJ) and by course discussion and mock court.

This course is a study of the theories, sources, and characteristics of commercial law. It examines commercial agreements and the legal framework of various types of corporations. Topics of study include: the legal obligations of employers, start-ups, sole traders and partnerships, trading companies, joint-stock companies, general and limited partnership, limited liability companies, commercial purchasing agreements, currency trading, and bankruptcy law.

This course offers a study of international sports and human rights, including human rights violations that can occur in sport and laws protecting athletes. Topics include: international law and sport; the role of international organizations; sport and human rights; the role of European courts; sporting organizations and human rights; sports diplomacy.

The course provides a broad and theoretical overview of European legal traditions from social, political, economic, and comparative perspectives. Starting with Roman Law, its coverage ranges from discussing the authority of law in history, literature, economics, and religion, through the creation of the European legal frameworks up to the establishment of a human rights tradition. Focus is given to the wider scope of legal developments in history that have shaped the conceptualization of law in present-day Europe and beyond. The course is roughly divided into two parts. The first part encompasses a brief overview of European legal thought from Roman law to the development of the common and civil legal traditions. In the second half of the course, the course examines the more recent developments of European politics and law. The first session will be dedicated to how social aspects (i.e. geography and religion) influence European legal developments. The second session deals with the fascist tendencies leading to World War Two. The last two sessions are dedicated to European integration and the formation of European Union mainly as an answer to the two World Wars. The focus here is on the legal coverage of the Union’s economy and respect for human rights through supranational cooperation.

This course offers an overview of the Spanish legal system. It addresses the historical origin of the sources of law, particularly the nineteenth-century codification processes, basic legal concepts, the normative system of sources, and the Spanish political-institutional organization. The course focuses on the study of constitutional, civil, criminal, procedural, and commercial law, paying special attention to the structure and principles that inform the Spanish jurisdiction.

This course offers a study on competition regulation and policy. Topics include: the need for regulation and regulatory instruments; regulation in the presence of complete information--regulation of a natural monopoly; regulation in the presence of asymmetric information; legal framework-- conduct control, structure control, and state aid; theoretical models-- incentives for horizontal mergers, equilibrium condition to sustain collusion, incentives for vertical integration, and predation; analysis of real competition cases in Spain and Europe.