Learning Outcomes

Law plays a crucial role outside economics and social science, but sometimes it can also benefit from the insights of other areas of life. Law is often reflected upon and discussed in non-legal spaces. This will be our focus, to better understand Law and those other spaces. Lawyers can benefit from looking at law through the eyes of artists, writers, natural scientists, just to name a few. These realms of life can also acquire a different meaning when looked into through the eyes of the Law. We also trust on the innovation and path breaking power of “forcing” relationships between law and these other fields. The assumption is that a book, for example, can not only offer a metaphor about law or present a different perspective on law but actually trigger a new legal insight. The purpose of this curricular unit is twofold: to achieve a better understanding of law through the eyes of other realms of life; and to promote innovation in Law by establishing unusual relations between issues.  

Syllabus

The sessions will vary in their time length (depending, for example, on involving screening a movie). Some sessions will be taught exclusively by me, others will take the format of a debate with a guest and audience. Sessions and themes (more themes could be added or replace one of these):

1. Interpreting the Law – Law and Pop Art;
2. Representing Justice – Law and Architecture;
3. Surveillance Society – Citizenfour;
4. Editing Democracy – Citizen Kane;
5. The Jurisprudence of Love – Provence Courts of Love;
6. Truth and Justice – Rashamon;
7. "Galactic” Constitutional Issues – Star Wars;
8. The meaning of a polity – Football and Philosophy: What do Guardiola and Mourinho have to do with Hannah Arendt and Carl Schmitt?
9. Justice and Reason – Justice by Durrenmatt.