JUS2012 Introduction to comparative law and legal cultures
- Course codeJUS2012
- Number of credits10
- Teaching semester2026 Autumn
- Language of instruction and examinationEnglish
- CampusLillehammer
- Required prerequisite knowledge
No obligatory pre-requirements. However, prior knowledge of the content of the first two years of the Bachelor of law is recommended.
The course will provide insight into different comparative approaches to law and give an overview on the evolution of the two main legal traditions: the civil law and the common law tradition. It will explore and compare various legal cultures, such as the English, American, German, Norwegian and French. The course will also discuss how legal cultures are embedded in legal institutions and increasingly influenced by international law.
Learning outcome
At the end of the course, the student has achieved the following learning outcomes.
Students:
- have an overview over research methods and approaches in comparative law and can distinguish and apply their basic elements
- can reflect on the main differences of the civil law and common law tradition and how it affects legal cultures today
- understand and be able to actively use the “Legal Cultural Model” for legal comparative analysis
- have knowledge on some of the main characteristics of the legal culturess discussed, such as conflict resolution, norm production, and legal education, idea of justice, legal method, and professionalization
- can discuss the relationship between legal cultures and international law
- know how the Norwegian legal culture relates to the civil law and common law tradition and how it is influenced by different legal traditions and historical and societal contexts
- can evaluate and reflect on today’s legal methods and institutions in a comparative perspective
Students:
- can identify the main structural elements and the subcategories of the legal cultural model
- can apply the legal cultural model in order to identify similarities and differences in legal cultures, and by doing so compare central features in these legal cultures
- understand and can apply established legal comparative terminology and methods in English
- can critically reflect on the legal cultural model in light of other comparative law approaches
- can use the legal cultural model in combination with other approaches in comparative law, such as the functional and historical approach to legal comparative research
- can identify, describe, categorise, explain and discuss both the differences and similarities of institutionalised forms of norm production and conflict resolution as well as the prevailing ideal of justice, legal methods, the degree of and attitude towards professionalization and internationalisation of law and its impacts on the selected cultures
- can critically evaluate the narratives of different legal traditions
- can discuss possible challenges and solutions for, but also limits of the harmonization of legal cultures, and interpret, discuss, and develop law reforms in various legal cultures
Students:
- has improved their skills in writing and communication in academic English
- can communicate to members from other legal cultures
- can identify and deal with potential challenges when working with legal professionals in an international environment
- Lectures
- Seminars
- Supervisions (veiledning)
- Written homework assignment
- Self-study
Submission and passing of an assignment are a requirement for admission to the exam.
| Form of assessment | Grading scale | Grouping | Duration of assessment | Support materials | Proportion | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Written examination with supervision | ECTS - A-F | Individual | 4 Hour(s) |
| 100 |
| Name | Credits | Date | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
JUS2007-1 Rettskildelære, sammenlignende rett og rettshistorie | 10 | ||
JUS2007-2 Western Legal Culture & Comparative History and Theory of Legal Methods | 10 |
Reading list
No reading list available for this course