Legal Studies

The course places anti-discrimination law in a broader context: theoretical justifications for the anti-discrimination principle are examined, and use is made of historical and social science material where appropriate. The course makes clear the assumptions which underlie traditional thinking concerning anti-discrimination law, and expose these to critical scrutiny. This task is especially important because of the recent expansion and consolidation of anti-discrimination law in Great Britain, as a result of the Human Rights Act 1998, the new anti-discrimination directives under Article 19 TFEU, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and the Equality Act 2010.

This course introduces the lawyer's profession practically and theoretically from an international perspective. The first part of the course explores the provisions governing the exercise of the lawyer's job in various legal systems, across multiple jurisdictions, and at the different levels of courts. The second part of the course focuses on the various manners to practice as a lawyer, from a comparative legal perspective, by studying the traditional missions of advising, representing, defending, and assisting clients in legal proceedings; as well as the lesser-known missions of negotiating, mediating, facilitating, and lobbying. The third part of the course explores the everyday practical reality of the profession of an international lawyer in several areas of law and across various industries and sectors, including the key concepts and technical issues related to the exercise of the legal profession in a disruptive post-Covid-19 world.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course focuses on the founding principles of international criminal law and justice; the historical evolution of international criminal justice and their current mechanisms; how to critically assess the impact and effectiveness of the different responses to international crimes. Students are expected to acquire the skills necessary to identify the problematic issues of criminal law, both from a political and juridical viewpoint, arising in different contexts and related to different mechanisms (whether retributive or restorative and both at the national or international levels). The objective of the course is to provide students, through a comparative and international perspective, with an understanding of: the criminal justice system and its changes introduced through the processes of internationalization and Europeanisation, at the same time highlighting the importance of the comparative approach; the constitutional principles in criminal matters and the foundational concepts of criminal law, the structure of its main principles and categories, the punishment and the classification of different penalties; the European criminal law developments, both regarding the legislation and the case law, as well as its influence on national criminal justice and law systems. Throughout this course, the theoretical framework is analyzed in the light of judicial decisions of national Constitutional Courts, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and, finally, the International Criminal Court. The course has 3 Parts. Part I: Internationalization of Criminal Law; Part II: International Criminal Law; Part III: Leading Case Law Analysis.

Tort law is one of the core courses of Anglo-American law. Recently, the insurance crisis has emerged in the United States under the circumstance of increasing lawsuits on product defects; medical injuries; environmental protection, and new technologies. Thus, a re-examination of the functions, rules, and practical applications of torts are underway. In addition to discussing the basic theories of Anglo-American tort law, this course focuses on the direction of institutional reform.

This criminology course focuses on organized crime and its international aspects by familiarizing students with organized crime theory in an international context, with a focus on diverse forms of smuggling, like trafficking in hazardous waste, animals, arms, drugs, human beings, and body parts. The course examines the antecedents of contemporary transnational organized crime, how new opportunities have opened up, and the different means that national and international organizations have employed to match the inventiveness and adaptability of the sophisticated criminal organization. Students participate in practical research and construct a final paper.