Cultural History of Law

A.Y. 2024/2025
9
Max ECTS
60
Overall hours
SSD
IUS/19
Language
English
Learning objectives
The course provides students with useful tools for a cultural approach to the legal dimension from a historical perspective, in order to:
-Recognise the different sources of medieval, modern and contemporary law (documentary and printed, written and oral)
-Outline the identity of the legal professional and its roles in society, in a long-term perspective
-Define the idea, image and representations of justice with reference to the social, political and economic contexts of medieval, modern and contemporary Europe.
-Present the routes of protection of individual and collective rights in European legal traditions from the Middle Ages to the present day.
Expected learning outcomes
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Select and compare the different sources of law, in their materiality and content (normative, preceptive, discursive)
- Apply the acquired knowledge to the understanding of the legal phenomenon in social life, in its different articulations, both in the past and in the present day
- Critically analyse ideals and representations of justice in European history
- Relevantly discuss the founding paths of rights protection in Europe, in a diachronic perspective
Single course

This course can be attended as a single course.

Course syllabus and organization

Single session

Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
The course aims to illustrate the reality and (self-)representation of the legal phenomenon, understood as a creative activity aimed at regulating civil coexistence, in a long-term perspective, from the Middle Ages to the present day. Through a plurality of reading plans and a constant reference to the sources, attention will be paid to the different institutional contexts in which law emerges and unfolds its coercive power, contributing to the articulation of associated life in different times and places. Emphasis is placed on fundamental elements of the European cultural physiognomy, such as the technical language that characterises the legal sphere; the ideas and practices that govern the construction of the identity of the legal practitioner; the beliefs and ideals of justice; the protection of rights (individual and collective); and the modes of administration of justice. Students will thus be offered essential keys to interpreting the complexity of reality in a diachronic dimension.
Summary of the contents:
- The sources of law (materiality, content, normative value)
- Legal language and vocabulary
- Identity and roles of legal actors
- Images and representations of the law
- Protection of rights and modes of administration of justice
Prerequisites for admission
None
Teaching methods
Attendance is strongly recommended.
The course consists of face-to-face lectures; guided reading of the sources;
individual and group assignments; flipped classroom.

Students will be asked to prepare for class by studying sources and texts assigned by the lecturer and made available in digital format.
Teaching Resources
Textbooks and teaching materials will be indicated and /or uploaded to the MyAriel teaching platform prior to the start of the course.
Sources illustrated in class will be uploaded to the MyAriel teaching platform.
Assessment methods and Criteria
Final oral exam, for both attending and non-attending students.
Attending students will be assessed on the topics, sources and materials discussed in class.
Non-attending students will be assessed on the course textbooks.

The format of the exam for students with disabilities should be arranged in advance with the professor, as well as the relevant office.

Evaluation criteria: capacity to demonstrate and elaborate knowledge; quality of exposition, efficacy, clarity; capacity for critical reflection
IUS/19 - HISTORY OF MEDIEVAL AND MODERN LAW - University credits: 9
Lessons: 60 hours
Professor: Monti Annamaria
Professor(s)
Reception:
By appointment ([email protected])
Department of Private Law and Legal History, office 1-1120