Comparative Law: Religion

1) Knowledge and comprehension. A level of general culture and legal culture is required to develop an understanding of the specific legal notions of certain "religious" laws (Canon law, Jewish law and Islamic law) and, in particular, to grasp the differences and specificities of these with respect to the secular systems; in this regard it is also required a fair level of ownership of lexical language and mastery, especially the legal one. For the part concerning the development of the sources of "religious" laws, it is also desirable to know some elementary historical notions.
2) Application abilities. Acquisition of the indispensable tools for the use of the concepts and legal institutes learned, according to the various cases that may arise, with the ability to face and solve problems even on new or non-customary issues, which are expected in the field of "religious" laws, in an interdisciplinary perspective and in order to acquire qualifying skills in the sense of a better understanding of social phenomena which, in a pluralistic society, emerge in their forms of juridical relevance.
3) Autonomy of judgement. Acquisition of a conscious autonomy of judgement with regard to the understanding and interpretation of the concepts dealt with.
4) Communication skills. For the topics covered, in addition to the above mentioned cultural and expressive starting requirements, the course aims to make students acquire the mastery of some concepts essential for the understanding of phenomena of great importance today, such as the expansion and multiplication of the spheres of the religious in today's society, and to draw from these new acquisitions the ability to read, interpret and then transmit those notions and skills. This is in order to integrate the legal training that, from an interdisciplinary point of view, is increasingly important as legal professionals have to be aware of the importance of being able to face an interpretation of laws as far as possible comprehensive of phenomena underlying them.
5) Ability to learn. Acquisition of skills for the adaptation of knowledges in relation to the studied contexts, the juridical institutions faced and the way in which they are related to the other existing laws, in particular those of the secular systems.

At the end of the course the student will have a thorough knowledge of the course topics and of the method for a useful comparison between secular laws and religious laws; he/she will also have acquired the ability to address the more recent issues in the field of religious laws, in an interdisciplinary way and with independent judgment