Last modified: 19 Mar 2025 16:46
This foundational course introduces students to the basic ideas, themes and insights of comparative law. The first part of the course focuses on the various concepts and methods that legal and other scholars have used to analyse differences and similarities between legal rules across nations and cultures. It also introduces students to various efforts to map and explain legal diversity across the globe (legal families and traditions, including the civil, common, mixed and other traditions). The second half of the course includes a range of case studies to showcase how the comparative method can be used in different areas of the law and across nations and regions.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 7.5 credits (3.75 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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The course will explore a range of topics, ideas and methodological approaches to comparative law. It will introduce students to various classifications of legal systems and their limitations. In the process, students will learn about major legal traditions, including the civilian and the common law traditions. The second half of the course includes a range of specific topics and theoretical tools to illustrate the range and importance of comparative research across legal areas (public and private law) and geographical regions (within and beyond Europe). The critical potential of seeing national laws in contrast with other legal regimes will be explored, illustrating why comparative insights are important even for both legal practitioners and legal scholars whose main work is in one national legal system. The course will also give an opportunity to students to engage in their own comparative research.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 35 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Duration: 2 hours. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Students will acquire knowledge and understanding of: criteria for the classification of different legal systems into legal “families”. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Students will acquire knowledge and understanding of: key characteristics of the discipline of comparative law. |
| Procedural | Understand | Students will acquire knowledge and understanding of: selected substantive areas of law in a comparative fashion |
| Procedural | Understand | Students will acquire knowledge and understanding of: civil law, common law, and mixed legal systems. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 65 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback | Word Count | 1000 | ||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Students will develop the skill to: analyse critically and extract the salient elements of a legal system from a wide range of materials. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Students will acquire knowledge and understanding of: key characteristics of the discipline of comparative law. |
| Procedural | Understand | Students will acquire knowledge and understanding of: the phenomenon of legal transplants and transnational law. |
| Procedural | Understand | Students will acquire knowledge and understanding of: civil law, common law, and mixed legal systems. |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback | ||||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Students will acquire knowledge and understanding of: key characteristics of the discipline of comparative law. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Students will acquire knowledge and understanding of: criteria for the classification of different legal systems into legal “families”. |
| Procedural | Understand | Students will acquire knowledge and understanding of: civil law, common law, and mixed legal systems. |
| Procedural | Understand | Students will acquire knowledge and understanding of: the phenomenon of legal transplants and transnational law. |
| Procedural | Understand | Students will acquire knowledge and understanding of: selected substantive areas of law in a comparative fashion |
| Conceptual | Analyse | Students will develop the skill to: analyse critically and extract the salient elements of a legal system from a wide range of materials. |
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