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

French, with at least one text in Dutch or English.

At the end of the seminar, the student should :

o have opened his/her mind to the fundamental questions on law and legal theory and to a critical reflection thereof;
o have acquired the ability to understand texts in legal theory, and to summarise and discuss them;
o have studied a legal (theoretical) issue thoroughly and critically, through personal research;
o have analysed a legal (theoretical) issue extensively and from a critical point of view, mobilizing both positive law and legal theory;
o have presented the result of his/her research to his/her fellow students;
o have been able to write, on the same issue, a critical analysis of about twenty pages (at least 25 pages for the seminar in Dutch), ideally from an interdisciplinary perspective, based on a bibliography containing legal and theoretical sources.

For the Bachelor in Law :

None

The seminars focus on various themes and issues, from year to year and depending on the teacher; as far as possible, the general theme will touch upon different branches of law.

The seminar's reading sessions consist of an analysis and discussion of texts (previously read and summarised by the students). Texts might vary from general issues of legal theory to more specific writings related to the specific topic of the seminar. The general approach is always conceptual, critical and interdisciplinary.

Students are also guided during the writing of a personal and critical essay in legal theory. Teachers are available for meetings, during office hours or by appointment, for students who wish to discuss their research. Before submitting their final paper, students will present their research to their fellow students.

The research paper is written in the language specific to each seminar: in French (only) for students in the French-language seminars, in English (only) for students in the English-language seminars, and in Dutch for students in the Dutch-language seminars.

Mandatory readings are made available to the students on moodle.

A note, with a length of 3 to 5 pages, summarizing the scheduled texts must be submitted by students before each class: it concerns a working document necessary for the debates during the sessions. In her/his note, each student also extracts 2 key issues or key ideas that are of particular interest to them. This note is a condition of admissibility for each session and must be handed in before the start of the session, according to the terms set by the teacher (email, moodle or paper version).

The schedules/hours of each seminar are established by the faculty Administration, depending on the availability of students and teachers.

All seminars, however, follow the same basic structure, consisting of:
- An introductory session in October;
- Two reading sessions in the first semester (three for the seminar in Dutch), then four reading sessions at the beginning of the second semester (five for the seminar in Dutch), each covering one or more texts chosen and disseminated by the teacher
- At least one moment of exchange between the students and their teacher about the individual work, in principle during the fortnight preceding the Easter holidays;
- A full day after the Easter holidays, during which each student presents the results of his personal research. These oral presentations can be organised in a variety of ways, but each student presents for at least 10 minutes (in June as well as in September);
- The submission of a written work of about 20 pages (25 for the seminar in Dutch), the last Friday of the second semester or the day preceding the second session, at 23:59; only the date and time of submission on the Ephorus platform are valid;
For the year 2019-20, deadlines are set for Friday, May 15, for the first session, and Friday, August 14, for the second session;
In the event that the student submits his work (on Ephorus) after the university buildings close, the printed version of his work must be submitted to the Faculty Administration without delay, i.e. the first working day following the aforementioned deadline (this does not apply groups whose teachers do not require a paper version to be handed in).

Final marks are most heavily determined by the quality of the essay, the assessment of which will be based on the following criteria: structure of the essay; significance and conceptualization of the research question; interdisciplinarity and discernment; quality of the research and bibliography; general understanding of the topic and of the relevant literature;
writing skills and methodology.

The student is also evaluated, more marginally, on the basis of her/his participation in the reading sessions, on the basis of her/his reading notes and on the basis of her/his oral presentation, or - potentially - on the basis of the complementary test/exam that is imposed in case of more than a single unjustified absence.

Indeed, students with more than one unjustified absence cannot submit their essay for the June session: if they registered for the session, they receive a 0A; furthermore, they can only submit their work during the second session under the condition that they pass an oral exam on one of the seminar texts, chosen at random (which supposes that they all be studied). This oral examination and the written paper are the subject of a joint evaluation.
Unjustified absence during the oral presentation day leads to the same consequences, even if it is the only absence of the year and/or if it is partial (if the student misses half of the day, for instance) : the students concerned cannot submit their essay during the June session, and may submit it during the second session only if the oral presentation has been carried out in the manner prescribed by their teacher.

A bibliography on the seminar's topic(s) is offered by the teachers, along with the overview of readings, and elaborated upon during individual discussions with the teachers.

No pre-correction of written work is proposed by the teachers. However, students can meet their teachers during individual meetings or appointments, and it is advised that these discussions are based on a text (outline, chapter, etc.).