A comparative look at Western legal traditions with emphasis on two civil law countries (France and Germany) and on the English common law. We will investigate the differences between the structures of those legal systems, the education and selection of legal staff, styles of procedure, modes of thinking, and selected issues of substantive law. The main purpose of the course is to give students an understanding for different legal cultures and thus a backdrop for a fresh look at their own legal system. Textbook: Glendon, Carozza and Picker, Comparative Legal Traditions (of which a new edition should come out in October 2014), and some xeroxed materials.
Interested students can earn one additional credit by writing a 10-15 page supervised research paper on a comparative law topic of their choice (registration in 1-hr. Directed Research and Study required).
There will be a three-hour final exam.
Markovits, Inga