SOCIOLOGIA DEL DIRITTO
- Overview
- Assessment methods
- Learning objectives
- Contents
- Delivery method
- Teaching methods
- Contacts/Info
Knowledge of Constitutional Law and Private Law is required.
Attending students:
The exam will consist of an oral test concerning the topics discussed during the lectures, with both general and more specific questions regarding the issues covered. The final grade will be given expressed out of thirty, with honours where appropriate. Assessment will take into account the ability to refer the contents of the program, as well as to reason and argue critically with regard to specific problems proposed during the course. Attention will be paid as well as to the capacity to interact during the lessons and to solve practical problems. To this skills a particular attention will be paid particularly during the second part of the course.
Not attending students: The exam will consist of an oral test on the full program, plus a thematic essay, with both general and more specific questions. The final grade will be expressed out of thirty, with honours where appropriate. Assessment will take into account the accuracy and quality of answers, mastery in the use of technical legal terminology as well as the ability to justify, arguing persuasively, claims and opinions.
The course offers the first tools to approach law combining the technical-legal perspective belonging to the classical formal jurist and the critical method tyipcal of the sociologists of law, who pay a deeper attention to problems concerning the effectiveness of norms and their impact on citizens and social institutions. Think, for example, to the debates on the effective enforcement of norms for the protection of personal dignity, those concerning the violence against women or those relating to the end-of-life choices. The aim is therefore to add a key to the interpretation of law that is indispensable for the modern jurist to widen his or her preparation, in order to move and work in a national and international context that is constantly and rapidly evolving.
At the end of the course, the student will be able:
- to master the basic concepts of socio-legal theory and the empirical socio-legal research methods;
- to reason critically about legal institutions and phenomena, approaching them not only from a dogmatic or theoretical viewpoint, but also taking into consideration the effectiveness and impact of law and norms;
- to express coherently and with an appropriate and technically correct language;
- to approach the study of law with an autonomous and critical method, developing his/her interactive and problem-solving skills: to this end, students will be asked to participate in the discussion of a Moot Court, which will be runned toghether with the professor.
In the first part of the course, the main theoretical contributions to the development of the Sociology of Law will be highlited, following the reference manual (8-10 hours). The second part of the course will focus, in particular, on topics such as the effectiveness of law; legal systems; legal norms, processes of formation and application; disputes and methods of conflict resolution; the influence of supranational and international norms on national law; the evolution of fundamental rights; the relationship between law, mass media and public opinion; methodology of socio-legal research; presentation of practical cases (25-27 hours). Meetings with journalists and representatives of the world of information and communication could be organized on certain current issues, eventually agreed upon with the students.
The course will take place in the first semester and will consist of in approximately 35 hours. Use will be made of materials on slides that will be discussed in class and made available to the attending students on the e-learning platform.
Teaching will include:
- theoretical lectures (about 10 hours);
- “pragmatic” lectures (about 25 hours), which will include:
- discussions on specific and current issues;
- discussions on practical cases and materials;
- meetings with journalists and representatives of the world of information and communication (subject to their availability);
- preparation and discussion of a mock trial.
Additional information may be requested at the end of the lessons. In any case, students can agree a reception with the Professor by sending an e-mail to the following address: cristina.reale@uninsubria.it. Further details will be provided through the University website and the e-learning platform.
ERASMUS students can attend classes in Italian and/or prepare a written paper in English on a research topic of interest to be agreed with the Professor, who will support them in finding materials in English language and will supervise their research activity during dedicated meetings.