Comparative Law   [Archived Catalog]
2015-2016 School of Law Academic Catalog
   

LAW 521 - Comparative Law

Credits, 2-3 sem. hrs.
This course provides a survey of Comparative Law with a focus on the Civil Law and Common Law legal traditions. Topics covered include the history of each tradition, the structures of government and court systems, legal education, the roles played by legal actors, civil and criminal procedure, and sources of law as well as interpretive practices. The course also considers selected problems in comparative constitutional law. Among the topics discussed are: comparative individual rights and liberties, including the rights of the accused, constitutional entrenchment, the structure and procedure used by constitutional courts, foundational case narratives, separation of powers in comparative perspective, and federalism in comparative perspective. In the Summer Legal Studies in Merida program, special attention will be given to these doctrines and procedures in Mexico, especially in the State of Yucatán.