Preliminary remark: the course is now taught by a new teacher, Stéphanie Wattier.
Legal Culture of the English-Speaking World is a bilingual course (English/French), which aims to develop the ability of French-speaking students to work in a bilingual environment, as well as to develop their knowledge of Anglo-Saxon legal culture.
As the course is taught in English, the teacher always ensures that the subject matter is properly understood by explaining technical legal developments in French and translating elements that were not understood in English. The teacher constantly considers the students’ feelings about the English language.
Due to the limited number of teaching hours, the course focuses on two countries in the Anglosphere in particular: firstly, the United Kingdom because it is the cradle of the English language and, secondly, the United States of America where the largest number of English speakers live (330 million) and because of its position as a “superpower” at the global level.
After a general introduction on what “Legal culture of the English-Speaking World” covers, the course focuses on some of the major social issues that the United Kingdom and the United States are currently facing: the right to abortion, the right to carrying arms, the fight against obesity, climate change, etc.
The course highlights how those two common law countries deal with these major legal and cultural issues in their own way.
Plan :
Introduction
Section 1. What’s ‘legal culture’?
Section 2. What’s the ‘English-Speaking World’?
Section 3. Selection of the analysed countries
Part I. Generalities about legal culture in the UK and the USA
Chapter 1. Generalities about legal culture of the United Kingdom
Chapter 2. Generalities about legal culture of the United States of American
Part II – Selection of current issues with regard to legal culture of the United Kingdom and the United States of America
Chapter 1. Relations between religions and State toward UK Law and US Law
Chapter 2. Right to abortion in UK Law and US Law
Chapter 3. Carrying guns and Law
Chapter 4. Obesity towards UK Law and US Law
Chapter 5. Legal challenges of climate change in UK Law and US Law
Chapter 6. Legal framework of prostitution in the UK and in the USA
Conclusions, questions, and preparation for the exam.
The course is not ex cathedra but rather interactive, following the Anglo-Saxon teaching method. A significant part of the course is dedicated to discussion, which is even more important given the social issues addressed. Students can intervene in both French and English on this occasion. The lessons are built around the active participation of the students, based on what they have understood and retained from the readings available on Webcampus as well as their opinion on the subjects covered.
The exam (20 points) consists of:
The use of a dictionary (EN/FR) is authorised at any time (during the lessons and the exam).
The course material consists of:
Videos shown during the lessons.
| Training | Study programme | Block | Credits | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor in Law | Standard | 0 | 3 | |
| Bachelor in Law | Standard | 3 | 3 |