1 / 10

Comparative Law Spring 2002 Professor Susanna Fischer

Comparative Law Spring 2002 Professor Susanna Fischer. CLASS ONE INTRODUCTION TO COMPARATIVE LAW. WELCOME TO COMPARATIVE LAW!. Introductions What is comparative law and why study comparative law? Outline of This Course Assigned reading for today: Article by Otto Kahn-Freund.

lucine
Download Presentation

Comparative Law Spring 2002 Professor Susanna Fischer

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Comparative Law Spring 2002Professor Susanna Fischer CLASS ONE INTRODUCTION TO COMPARATIVE LAW

  2. WELCOME TO COMPARATIVE LAW! • Introductions • What is comparative law and why study comparative law? • Outline of This Course • Assigned reading for today: Article by Otto Kahn-Freund

  3. WHAT IS COMPARATIVE LAW AND WHY STUDY IT? • Sir Otto Kahn-Freund:”The trouble is that the subject …has by common consent the somewhat unusual characteristic that it does not exist.”

  4. WHAT IS COMPARATIVE LAW? • Kahn-Freund: “Not a topic, but a method…common name for a variety of methods of looking at law.” • We will focus more on comparing systems/traditions than comparing substantive law • We will focus primarily on comparing 2 common law systems (England and the United States) with 2 civil law systems (Germany and France), but will also devote some attention to non-Western legal traditions, e.g. chthonic law, islamic law, asian law

  5. COMPARING LEGAL SYSTEMS: TOPICS • History/culture/geographical distribution of system • Legal institutions – e.g. courts • Sources of law – e.g. legislation, constitution, custom • Legal actors – e.g.avocats, barristers, judges • Legal education • Procedure – civil ,criminal, administrative

  6. WHAT IS COMPARATIVE LAW AND WHY STUDY IT? • Professional Purpose – help lawyers to work in a global village • Cultural Purpose – broaden perspectives, give comparative insights into our own legal system • Scientific Purpose – universal legal truths, harmonization of legal rules • Reform Purpose – helps us to make changes to our own legal system

  7. THIS COURSE • 3 Handouts – Class Home Page, Course Outline, Reading List (for Week 1) – all available online by going to http://www.law.edu/faculty/fischer and clicking on Comparative Law Spring 2002 • Home Page has some helpful resources on it

  8. COURSE OUTLINE • Make sure you read this carefully • Required Books/Preparing for Class • Attendance/Class Participation • Exams and Grading • Final Exam – 75% of grade • Web Project – 25% of grade • Other Assignments/Exercises • Prohibition of recording without prior consent • Class Listserv – you are required to send me an e-mail by Friday so I can set this up

  9. CONTACTING ME/OFFICE HOURS • Mondays – Room 412 10:30-11:30 a.m. or by appointment • Telephone: 202-319-5568 or e-mail: fischer@law.edu

  10. Required Reading for Wednesday • Basil Markesinis, Comparative Law – A Subject in Search of an Audience, 53 Modern Law Review 1-21 (Jan. 1990)

More Related