LAW 724: Comparative Legal Institutions
Most American law students have little opportunity to become acquainted with the approaches to law followed outside of the United States. This course fills that gap by offering an introduction to the major approaches to law practiced in other parts of the world. It focuses in part on the Civil Law tradition, which represents the most common legal system in the world today, paying particular attention to France and Germany. It also examines the Common Law tradition as practiced in England and the Commonwealth. The primary focus is on legal institutions rather than on any particular area of substantive law. Possible topics include the approach to legal education, judicial procedure, sources of law, and how concepts such as judicial review and the separation of powers are implemented. [2 credit hours]
