00385 - Philosophy of Law (M-Q)

Learning outcomes

Students will be introduced to the critical study of the history of legal philosophy, to the fundamental issues of legal theory (such as the typology of norms and the interpretation, integration, and systematization of law), and to the most relevant authors and problems discussed in the contemporary legal-philosophical debate. The course is meant to provide first-year students in legal studies both with a non-superficial knowledge of the historical development of theoretical thinking about law in the Western philosophical culture and with an introduction to the basic concepts of legal theory.    

Course contents

After attending the course in legal philosophy and successfully passing the final examination, the student will be acquainted with the following topics:

- From a historical point of view:

• General definition and variants of the three main conceptions in legal philosophy: natural law theory, legal positivism, and legal realism

• Concept and history of natural law theory in its three main variants: naturalistic, voluntaristic, and rationalistic

• Concept of contractualism and of liberalism

• Concept and history of normativistic legal positivism, with particular reference to Kelsen and Hart 

• Concept and history of monistic and reductionistic legal positivism, with particular reference to Bentham and Austin' analytical jurisprudence

• Concept of normativistic realism (Uppsala School), of American legal realism and of anti-formalism. 

• Relevant issues in contemporary debate: New trends in the connection between law and morality and institutionalism, neo-natural law theory, neo-contractualism and Rawls, Habermas and discourse theory, inclusive and exclusive legal positivism, new theories of legal argumentation, concept of defeasibility in legal reasoning, concept of bioethics and multiculturalism 

- From a theoretical point of view: 

• Distinction among the concepts of validity, effectiveness, and justice of a norm

• Concept of sources of law

• Concept of legal acts, facts and transactions

• Methods for interpreting statutes and use of analogical reasoning

Readings/Bibliography

----- Attending Students

a) E. Pattaro, Opinio Juris. Il diritto è un'opinione: chi ne ha i mezzi ce la impone. Lezioni di filosofia del diritto, Giappichelli, Torino, 2011 (chaps. 7, 8, 9 e 10).

b) C. Faralli, Le grandi correnti della filosofia del diritto, 2nd ed. with an anthology of texts, Giappichelli, Torino, 2014.

c) C. Faralli, La filosofia del diritto contemporanea, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2002.

 

----- Non-attending Students

a) E. Pattaro, Opinio Juris. Il diritto è un'opinione: chi ne ha i mezzi ce la impone. Lezioni di filosofia del diritto, Giappichelli, Torino, 2011 (chaps. 7, 8, 9 e 10).

b) C. Faralli, Le grandi correnti della filosofia del diritto, 2nd ed. with an anthology of texts, Giappichelli, Torino, 2014.

c) C. Faralli, La filosofia del diritto contemporanea, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2002.

d) One text to be selected from the following:

G. Fassò, Storia della filosofia del diritto, vol. 1 (Rome and Bari: Laterza, 2001), chaps. 4, 5, 8, 12, 16.

G. Fassò, Storia della filosofia del diritto, vol. 2 (Rome and Bari: Laterza, 2001), chaps 6, 7, 9, 13, 21.

G. Fassò, Storia della filosofia del diritto, vol. 3 (Rome and Bari: Laterza, 2001), chaps 1, 2, 10, 11, 13.

 

----- For students who are behind schedule with their exams and who are enrolled in the five-year programme in Giurisprudenza (Magistrale),the four-year programme in Giurisprudenza (vecchio or nuovo ordinamento), in the three-year programme in Scienze giuridiche, or in the two-year Laurea Specialistica in Giurisprudenza

There are two options for students who are behind schedule (students who have registered for this course in a previous academic year and have yet to take the exam): They can choose the syllabus for non-attending students who have registered for the course in the current academic year, or they can choose the syllabus relative to the academic year in which they registered. Any changes a student wishes to make to the syllabus will have to be made in agreement with the professor.

 

Students who have to earn credits required under the Magistrale programme, having transferred from the three-year programme in Scienze Giuridiche or from the two-year Laurea Specialistica in Giurisprudenza

Students who are enrolled in the three-year programme in Scienze Giuridiche or in the two-year Laurea Specialistica in Giurisprudenza and who have already taken the exam in legal philosophy under either of those two programmes are required to supplement this exam with one additional credit (1 CFU) in order for the equivalent exam to count under the Laurea Magistrale programme. Students required to supplement this exam with an additional credit will be tested (oral exam only) on the following text:

 

G. Zagrebelsky, Il diritto mite (Turin: Einaudi, 1992), chaps. 2 and 3

 

----- Erasmus Students

Students can choose one of the following three options:

- Option (I) (Only for students who will attend the lectures):

a) E. Pattaro, Opinio Juris. Il diritto è un'opinione: chi ne ha i mezzi ce la impone. Lezioni di filosofia del diritto, Giappichelli, Torino, 2011 (chaps. 7, 8, 9 and 10).

b) C. Faralli, Le grandi correnti della filosofia del diritto, 2nd ed. with an anthology of texts, Giappichelli, Torino, 2014.

c) C. Faralli, La filosofia del diritto contemporanea, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2002.

- Option (II):

a) E. Pattaro, Opinio Juris. Il diritto è un'opinione: chi ne ha i mezzi ce la impone. Lezioni di filosofia del diritto, Giappichelli, Torino, 2011 (chaps. 7, 8, 9 and 10).

b) C. Faralli, Le grandi correnti della filosofia del diritto, 2nd ed. with an anthology of texts, Giappichelli, Torino, 2014.

c) One text to be selected from the following:

G. Fassò, Storia della filosofia del diritto, vol. I, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2001 (chaps 4, 5, 8, 12, 16).

G. Fassò, Storia della filosofia del diritto, vol. II, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2001 (chaps 6, 7, 9, 13, 21).

G. Fassò, Storia della filosofia del diritto, vol. III, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2001 (chaps 1, 2, 10, 11, 13).

- Option (III):

a) E. Pattaro, Opinio Juris. Il diritto è un'opinione: chi ne ha i mezzi ce la impone. Lezioni di filosofia del diritto, Giappichelli, Torino, 2011 (chaps. 7, 8, 9 and 10).

b) C. Faralli, Le grandi correnti della filosofia del diritto, 2nd ed. with an anthology of texts, Giappichelli, Torino, 2014.

c) One of the following books:

- C.S. Nino, Derecho, moral y política, Barcelona, Ariel 1994;

- R. Alexy, Begriff und Geltung des Rechts, Freiburg, Alber 1992;

- H. Hart, The Concept of Law, 2nd ed. with a Postscript, Oxford, Clarendon 1994 (chaps. 1-6 and Postscript);

- M. Troper, La théorie du droit, le droit, l'état, Paris, Presses Universitaires de France, 2001.    

Teaching methods

The lectures will either cover course contents or will consist in reading and commenting of subsidiary texts related to those contents, so as to elicit discussion in class. Slides will be used to help students have a graphic representation of concepts and their historical developments. The DOCERI app (for Ipad and Imac) will be used to comment and annotate texts under discussion directly on screen.

 

All information about the course, selected readings, and other tools will be published online at

http://campus.unibo.it

 

This is a first-semester course. Please check the website www.giuri.unibo.it for the room and the weekly schedule of the lectures.    

Assessment methods

Student performance will be assessed through a final oral exam. Students registering for the exam must so do using the University's computer network Almaesami.

 

The final exam is meant to test not only the students' knowledge of the main developments of the history of legal philosophy up to the contemporary debate, but also their understanding of the complex theoretical issues discussed during the course. Hence, the exam will not necessarily dwell on specific textual passages but will rather test the students' ability to argue a philosophical thesis and understand the problems connected to it. Under normal circumstances, the final exam will consist of three questions, and the final grade will be the outcome of an average among the three answers. If, however, any of the answers will make it clear that the student under examination has entirely skipped one or more texts which are part of the programme, this will entail a rejection, independently of the other answers. The examiner will possibly ask one or two other questions, if the student's knowledge will not sufficiently come through from the first three answers.

 

Students will be recognized as having attended the course in the current academic year only if they will bring at the exam the relevant attendance form filled out and signed during the course. Attending students will possibly be tested on the specific content of the lectures listed in the form they have signed.

Students will be able to take the exam starting in January 2016. There are no prerequisites that need to be satisfied for eligibility to take this exam.    

Teaching tools

These include slides summarizing the main course topics, a mailing list in order to improve communication between the students and Dr. Roversi, and the reading and commenting of texts in class, including by using the DOCERI app for Ipad and Imac in order to annotate texts and slides directly on screen.

 

All the information relative to the course, along with any notice Dr. Roversi may give, as well as any supplemental course material, will also be available online at http://campus.unibo.it    

Office hours

See the website of Corrado Roversi