Year 2010-11

  

Introduction to Law (21284)

  

  

Qualification: Degree in Political and Administration Sciences

Year: 1st

Term: 2^nd

Number of ECTS credits: 6 credits

Hours of student dedication: 80 hours

Teaching language: Catalan and Spanish

 

 

 

1. Introduction to the course

 

This course aims to train students in some of the basic knowledge of law and its general normative base.  It is a tool to reflect on the role and limitations of law in general, and the main elements of our contemporary legal systems.  In this sense, apart from introducing the idea of the role of laws and the main judicial traditions of the world, the course also facilitates the understanding of some basic general concepts, such as the sources of law, normative hierarchies, general typologies of norms, the branches of law and the main courts that can be found in Spain.

 

It also presents a reflection on the recent constitutionalisation of the legal systems.  This will be used to introduce the main elements regulated by the 1978 Spanish constitution, and to reflect on some of its more controversial elements such as judicial control over the constitutionality of laws.  Finally the course turns to examine some theoretical and normative issues such as the relationship between law and morality, the limits of state intervention for the protection of individual autonomy and some of the legal, legitimacy and justice aspects of our laws.

 

2. Competencies to be achieved

 

Generic Competencies:

 

- Ability to manage information

- Interpersonal skills

- Ability to learn

 

Specific competencies:

 

- Recognising the legal framework within which public administrations operate

- Knowledge of how to use legal resources

- Understanding a legal text and the consequences that derive form it

3. Contents

 

- Topic 1. Concepts and the functions of law

 

- Topic 2. General introduction to Spanish law

 

- Topic 3. Constitution, constitutionalism and state institutions

 

- Topic 4. Morality, justice, politics and law

 

- Topic 5. Legality, legitimacy and justice: the rule of law, the social State and the democratic State.

 

4. Assessment

 

The final mark will be calculated according to the following: final exam which will make up 60% of the mark, seminar activities developed during the course which will account for 40% of the mark.  This continuous assessment will be divided as follows: a) 4 exams based on the readings, one per seminar, which are worth 15%; b) a compulsory individual piece of work worth another 15%; and c) participation in the seminars worth 10% of the final mark.

 

5. Readings and resources

  

5.1. Basic bibliography

  

Alfred Font Barrot and José Luis Pérez Triviño, El derecho para no juristas, Barcelona,

Deusto, 2009.

 

Course Dossier made up of 12 texts and available at the reprographics kiosk.

 

A selection of articles which will be available in electronic format in the Aula Global.

  

5.2. Educational resources

 

Topic 1: Alfred Font Barrot and José Luis Pérez Triviño, El derecho para no juristas, Barcelona, Deusto, 2009: chapters 1 and 2; José Juan Moreso and Josep Maria Vilajosana, Introducción a la teoría del derecho, Madrid, Marcial Pons: chapter 1. Dossier Text 1; Manuel Atienza, El sentido del derecho, Barcelona, Ariel, 2001: capítulo 1. Dossier Text 2

  

Topic 2: Alfred Font Barrot and José Luis Pérez Triviño, El derecho para no juristas, Barcelona, Deusto, 2009: chapters 2 and 4; Angel Latorre, Introducción al derecho,

Barcelona, Ariel, 1992: chapter III of the second part. Dossier Text 3.

  

Topic 3: Alfred Font Barrot and José Luis Pérez Triviño, El derecho para no juristas,

Barcelona, Deusto, 2009: chapter 3; Víctor Ferreres, "En defensa de la rigidez

constitucional", Doxa, 23, 2000. An electronic version will be available in the Aula

Global; Roberto Gargarella, "La dificultad de defender el control judicial de las leyes",

Isonomía, 6, 1997. An electronic version will be available in the Aula Global; David Held,

La democracia y el orden global, Barcelona, Paidós, 1997, chapter 12. Dossier text 4.

  

Topic  4: Manuel Atienza, El sentido del derecho, Barcelona, Ariel, 2001: chapter 4.

Dossier text 5; Ernesto Garzón Valdés, "¿Es éticamente justificable el paternalismo jurídico?", Doxa, 5, 1988. An electronic version will be available in the Aula Global; Francisco Laporta, Entre el derecho y la moral, México, Fontamara, 1993: chapters 4 and 6. Dossier texts 6 and 7; Carlos Nino, Ética y derechos humanos, Barcelona, Ariel, 1989, chapter 10. Dossier text 8.

 

Topic 5: Tom Campbell, La justicia. Los principales debates contemporáneos, translated by Silvina Álvarez, Barcelona, Gedisa, 2002: chapter 1. Dossier text 9; Steven Lukes, "Cinco fábulas sobre los derechos humanos", in Stephen Shute and Susan Hurley (eds.), De los derechos humanos, Madrid, Trotta, 1998, p. 47-86. An electronic version will be available in the Aula Global; Elías Díaz, Estado de Derecho y sociedad democrática, Madrid, Taurus, 998: chapters 1, 3 and 4. Dossier texts 10, 11 and 12.

  

  

6. Methodology

 

Classroom based: lectures, seminars, tutorials

 

Non classroom based: individual and group work, autonomous study

 

7. Programme of activities

  

Week 1: topic 1 lecture

 

Week 2: topic 1 lecture and seminar 1

 

Week 3: topic 2 lecture and seminar 1

 

Week 4: topic 2 lecture and seminar 2

 

 

Week 5: topic 2 and 3 lecture and seminar 2

 

Week 6: topic 3 lecture and seminar 3

 

Week 7: topic 3 lecture and seminar 3

 

Week 8: topic 4 lecture and seminar 4

 

Week 9: topic 5 lecture and seminar 4

 

Week 10: topic 5 lecture