Face-to-face , first and second term, 30 hours of theory.

French (English for students in bilingual minor)

At the end of the seminar, the student should :
 
o have opened his/her mind to the fundamental questions and to a critical reflection of law and legal theory ;
o have acquired the capacity to understand texts of legal theory, to summarise them and to discuss them during group debates ;
o have addressed a legal issue extensively and from a critical point of view, through the use of positive law and legal theory ;
o have written, on that topic, an essay based on personal research and extended bibliography, providing a critical analysis of the question ;
o have presented orally to his/her fellow students the result of his/her research ;

For the Bachelor in Law :

None

The content of the seminar is structured as follows :
 
First, sessions will be held, involving a discussion of texts read and summarised by the students. Texts will vary from general topics of legal theory to more precise texts related to the topic of the seminar.

Secondly, students will be asked to do a more in depth research on one of the topics that will be proposed to them. Subject to prior approval,  a  student  may choose  his/her own essay topic. Students must provide a table of contents, to be discussed with the professor before an oral presentation of their essay of 15-20 minutes  (in English for students enroled in the bilingual minor).

Thirdly, for the end of the second term, each student must hand in an essay of approximately 20 pages.

The readings for the first part of the seminar are made available to the students at the library. A brief summary of the scheduled texts is to be submitted by students at every session. Attendance to and participation in every session (including the oral presentation day) is compulsory.

The overall course mark is prominently determined by the quality of the essay, the assessment of which will be based on the following criteria:
¥ Significance of the research (diversity and quantity of sources used);
¥ General understanding of the topic and of the relevant literature;
¥ Structure of the essay (introduction, division of the text in chapters and sections, conclusion, summary);
¥ Accurateness (using the right words, avoiding preconceived judgments and hasty generalisations…);
¥ Discernment (ability to carry out a critical and insightful analysis of a legal issue);
¥ Intellectual honesty (quoting sources in text and bibliography);
¥ Writing skills (grammar, misspellings, expression…).
 
This mark may be slightly altered in the light of:
¥ The attendance to and participation in the seminar's sessions;
¥ The quality of the oral presentation;
¥ The quality of the reading summaries.

Provided with the textbook

See textbook.