Laws and Orders: Legal Systems Around the World

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Laws and Orders: Legal Systems Around the World
Humanities Course
Course CodeCLAW
Year Opened2020
Sites OfferedJHU, LOS

Course Description

From the CTY Course Catalog (2020):

With the spread of global culture, it can be surprising to discover the significant legal differences among countries. What is free speech in one nation, for instance, may land a person in prison somewhere else. Moreover, people do not even have to travel to encounter different legal systems today. Thanks to the European Union, Americans often have to ‘Agree’ to cookie policies before websites can gather data. Russian operatives can be charged for cybercrimes by the U.S. without having broken any laws in their home country. By examining such issues, this course introduces students to comparative law. How do the world’s major legal systems differ? What do they share in common? How have legal traditions influenced and interacted with one another?

Students will investigate these questions through exploring the world’s major legal systems. These may include Anglo-American common law, Continental civil law, religious and philosophical traditions (Islamic, Confucian, and others), and various hybrids. Lessons will include discussions, debates, case studies, and simulations. In particular, students may apply their learning through creating a mock legal system out of aspects of the real ones they study.