Sociology of Law is aimed at analysing the interaction between law and society, highlighting the way in which social changes can affect the evolution of the law and vice versa.
The course aims to provide students with some first tools for a critical approach to the study of law, encouraging them to interact with legal materials.
In the first part of the course the historical development of this discipline will be traced, following the main theoretical orientations. In the second part, major institutional concepts will be analyzed with reference to the social context (national and supranational) in which the same concepts are applied. Students will then be guided in the analysis of judgments or other material provided. Some lessons will be dedicated to illustrate the methodology used by the empirical sociology of law in the analysis of legal phenomena.
Participation to the solution of a practical case will be proposed to the students: this part of the course is aimed to give them the opportunity to start working on legal materials, improving their attitude in examining and analysing critically the conflicting arguments and understanding the reasons that lead to the solution of the case, consistently with their current skills.

At the end of the course, students are expected to demonstrate an appropriate knowledge regarding the issues and topics covered.
In particular, the first part of the course is aimed at providing them with a solid basis concerning the main theories and authors who have most contributed to the development of the Sociology of Law. The second part of the course is intended to stimulate their ability to reason on specific issues illustrated and to demonstrate critical autonomy.