Admission requirements
Admission to the Masters programme (European Law specialisation), and hence: Bachelor degree in law and sufficient English knowledge.
Description
Students will be introduced to the practical side of EU law both from a procedural as well as a substantive point of view. This will be done by moot courts on various issues of EU law, including internal market law and/or competition law. By a process of self learning in teams, students will learn how to research, read, analyse and apply case law from the Court of Justice and the General Court of the EU and the decisional practice of the European Commission. Students will be required to familiarise themselves thoroughly with the materials of the course. They will be required to submit papers on a number of topics to train their research and writing skills. Furthermore, they will be asked to give presentations on specific issues and will thereby practice their oral presentation skills.
Course objectives
Objectives of the course
The first goal of the practicum is to give students an opportunity to train their practical and academic skills as a lawyer. That is why this practicum takes the format of a moot court.
Secondly, the course aims at teaching students to familiarise themselves with different areas of EU law in a limited period of time.
Thirdly, the course intends to teach students to work in teams under time pressure.
Achievement levels
The following achievement levels apply with regard to the course: At the end of this course, students will:
Know how to research any topic relating to EU law
Critically read and analyse case law from the European Courts and the decisional practice of the European Commission and apply it to the practical circumstances of any given case
Be able to write and present legal papers in a court forum
Timetable
Second semester.
Mode of instruction
Lectures
In the first week there will be an introductory lecture, intended to lay the foundation for the rest of the course and explain the rules of the moot courts that follow.
Seminars
None.
Other methods of instruction
- Description: “Court sessions”
The heart of the practicum consists of 9 weeks, during which the students act in small groups as participants in courts sessions which will be held on the basis of fictional cases or cases that are pending before the European Courts. Each subgroup will act in turn as the Applicant, as the Defendant, the Advocate General or as the Court. In this role they submit papers and give oral presentations of their views on the case. To this end, the students will meet once a week during 2-4 hours in “court sessions” (depending on the case to be discussed). The students will have to conduct individual research (e.g. library and internet) when preparing their papers and presentations.
Total number of lectures and “court sessions”: 10 (4 hours each)
Each paper will be carefully read and graded. General remarks about the papers will be made in class; individual papers may be further discussed with the authors when necessary. The oral presentations will be followed by plenary discussion in class; individual feedback will be given afterwards.
Assessment method Examination form(s)- 4 papers and oral presentations (group work)
- final paper and presentation (individual work)
Both the group work and the individual work count for the individual grade.
Poor participation in class can have a negative effect on the individual grade.
Submission procedures
The papers have to be handed in electronically as indicated in the course outline. The oral presentations will be given and discussed in class.
Areas to be tested within the exam
Not applicable (there is no written exam). The final paper will test the individual student’s ability to write a coherent and sufficiently “academic” paper (since the other papers are the result of the teamwork of the subgroups).
Blackboard
More information on this course is offered in “Blackboard”: http://blackboard.leidenuniv.nl/.
Reading list Obligatory course materials Students are required to collect the relevant material themselves.
Recommended course materials
Not applicable: students are expected to gather the necessary materials themselves
Registration
Contact information
Co-ordinator: Prof. mr. S. Van den Bogaert
Work address: Steenschuur 25, room B.135
Contact information: via secretariat; see below
Telephone number:
E-mail: “s.van.den.bogaert@law.leidenuniv.nl’:mailto:s.van.den.bogaert@law.leidenuniv.nl
Institution/division
Institute: Public Law
Division: European law
Room number secretariat: B 1.19
Opening hours: Mon – Fri, 9.00 – 17.00
Telephone number secretariat: 071 – 527 7760
E-mail: f.p.oldenhof@law.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks None.
Contractonderwijs
Belangstellenden die deze cursus in het kader van contractonderwijs willen volgen (met tentamen), kunnen meer informatie vinden over kosten, inschrijving, voorwaarden, etc. op de website van Juridisch PAO