87123 - DIDATTICA DEL DIRITTO

Academic Year 2024/2025

  • Docente: Silvia Zullo
  • Credits: 7
  • SSD: IUS/20
  • Language: Italian

Learning outcomes

The course covers the main tools, methods, and content needed to teach law and related subjects. Students will be taught to analyze the language of law and its use for an effective strategy in the teaching of law, to this end availing themselves of digital technologies.

Course contents

The course contains two modules. Module 1 is aimed both at acquiring skills and competences for an interdisciplinary training in legal studies in dealing with legal cases and issues, recognising the political and ethical options underlying each solution. Module 1 is also aimed at acquiring basic knowledge in the field of pedagogical and law teaching training. The course surveys the literature on educational contexts and analyses the regulatory framework governing education and the teaching of law and citizenship under these headings as follows:

•the role of the Social Sciences in Legal Studies Education;

• theory and law in context: the social function of the lawyer in promoting legal education and social justice skills;

• John Dewey: pragmatism, education, democracy;

• learning theory of constructivism;

• legal and economic skills;

• law and teaching (planning the teaching of law and of legal skills, the social functions of the law, and the basic legal concepts);

• law and citizenship (building a unit for teaching civic education);

• education for democratic citizenship in a digital culture.

Module 2 takes a more practical angle, with a focus on the teaching of law in upper secondary school, in keeping with the most recent guidelines. We will specifically cover the following topics:

• inclusive teaching;

• learning disorders (special needs, autism spectrum disorder), compensatory and dispensatory teaching;

• the distinction among skills, abilities, and knowledge;

• innovative teaching methodologies;

• cooperative and peer-to-peer learning;

• the flipped classroom;

• the use of podcasts as a tool for teaching law;

• main methods of learning assessment;

• civic education law;

• real-world problem solving and multidisciplinary projects;

• environmental education from a legal perspective.

In covering these topics, we will be analyzing the main textbooks on law and economics in use in secondary schools in Italy, including their e-book versions digital technologies for teaching.

Readings/Bibliography

MODULE 1: For the exam, students are required to prepare chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the main text La didattica del diritto. Metodi, strumenti e prospettive, eds. V. Marzocco, S. Zullo, T. Casadei, Pacini Giuridica, Pisa, Second edition 2021.

Non-attending students must prepare the main text, La didattica del diritto. Metodi, strumenti e prospettive, eds. V. Marzocco, S. Zullo, T. Casadei, Pacini Giuridica, Pisa, Second edition 2021, and the materials available online at https://virtuale.unibo.it platform.

Here is a list of suggested readings:

T. Greco, La legge della fiducia. Alle radici del diritto, Roma-Bari, 2021.

G. Calabresi, The Future of Law & Economics. Essays in Reform and Recollection, New Haven – London 2015.

M.C. Nussbaum, Cultivating Humanity in Legal Education, in «University of Chicago Law Review», 70 (2003).

A. Gambaro, Studiare giurisprudenza, in La vocazione civile del giurista. Saggi dedicati a Stefano Rodotà, a cura di Roma-Bari 2013.

U. Scarpelli, L’educazione del giurista, in «Rivista di diritto processuale», 1968, pp. 1 ss.

MODULO 2: Attending students are required to study the slides and the readings provided during the course, available online at https://virtuale.unibo.it

Non-attending students are required to prepare the slides and the readings available online at https://virtuale.unibo.it [https://virtuale.unibo.it/], and three chapters to choose [https://context.reverso.net/traduzione/inglese-italiano/to+choose] from D. Maknouz, La lezione segmentata. Ritmata, varia, integrata. Zanichelli, Bologna, 2021.

Teaching methods

Because the content and aims of the course are practical, students will be encouraged to have an active role: this means participating in workshops and group discussions in which the experience and practice of teaching the law can be explained and interpreted.

During the course, slides will be used to provide students with a clear graphical representation of the concepts, their historical evolution and their problematization in existing socio-legal context. In addition, online exercises and tests will be made to increase the level of interaction with the students.

Assessment methods

Students will take a final oral exam.

Registration for the exam is carried out via the ALMAESAMI university computer system, where students are asked to check the exam procedures for the specific session in which they will choose.

The final exam is aimed at verifying the knowledge of the topics and tools illustrated during the course and the ability to use these tools to plan a teaching unit in the legal field, as indicated in the "Programme and contents" section. Specifically, the exam consists of 3-4 open questions relating to Module 1 and another 3-4 open questions relating to Module 2. The final grade is the result of an average of the answers to these questions.

The final exam is aimed at verifying the knowledge of the topics and tools illustrated during the course and the ability to use these tools to plan a teaching unit in the legal field.

However, the assessment of the final exam is carried out taking into account not only the level of acquisition of the knowledge and tools illustrated during the lectures, but also the ability to argue and understand the theoretical issues discussed and the methodologies aimed at the realisation of a teaching unit in the legal field.

The student's achievement of a complete and organic view of the issues addressed in lectures, with the critical ability to use them and a mastery of expression and of the specific language of the discipline, will be assessed with very good marks. Unarticulated argumentation and analytical skills or correct, but not always appropriate, language will lead to fair grades. Knowledge gaps and/or inappropriate language, although in a context of acceptable knowledge, will not go beyond the grade threshold “sufficient”. Knowledge gaps in the course programme, inappropriate language, lack of any overall view of the basic issues will lead to an insufficient grade.

Teaching tools

In addition to the slides and coursepack, we will be providing illustrations and demonstrations for the different units, bringing in experts, viewing audio-visuals, and providing readings for further study.

Students with learning disorders or other impairments who need special aids can point that out to the instructor, who will make appropriate arrangements to that end.

Office hours

See the website of Silvia Zullo

See the website of Francesca Faenza

SDGs

Quality education Gender equality Reduced inequalities Climate Action

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.