Youth law [DROIB220]
- 3 credits
- 30h
- 2nd quarter
Learning outcomes
Subject specific skills : - To understand and assimilate the concepts, rules and principles governing youth welfare and youth protection law; - To perceive the issues at stake in the subject and the major orientations that are emerging; - Understand the links with other branches of law and the humanities; - Using legislative, jurisprudential and doctrinal sources, construct a rigorous analysis and critically reflect on legal mechanisms; - To move from the abstraction of the norm to the concrete fact and, conversely, to transform a field problem into legal questions, notably through illustrations drawn from current events and case law (both national and international); - Be aware of the relative and evolving nature of legal solutions and the controversies they may generate; - Take an interest in current issues related to the subject and understand the issues at stake. Cross-cutting competences : - To develop a critical mind, in particular by opening up to comparative and interdisciplinary dimensions; - To develop a rigorous and reasoned analysis of case law solutions, adding a personal and critical view; - Build a structured, well-founded and convincing argument; - Projecting oneself into concrete situations, designing good examples, identifying the advantages and disadvantages of different solutions; - Public speaking (answering questions in class) ; - Defend a point of view in an argumentative manner; - Enriching the subject matter with personal interventions (orally in class); - Use the French language as a tool for legal thinking and master legal terminology; - Valuing the commitment to the defence of children's rights.
Objectives
The objective of the course is to introduce the student to the rights of the child in general before deepening the study of the legal texts of international law and domestic law (essentially the law applicable in the French Community) which concern minors in difficulty or in danger as well as juvenile delinquency. The technical description is accompanied by a critical approach and also prepares the student to put the legal solutions into practice (concrete approach).
Content
The course begins with an overview of the main provisions of international law relating to children's rights, especially the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. It continues with a contextualisation of the particularities of youth law and then focuses on the assistance and measures that can be provided to children in danger or in difficulty as well as to their families or relatives and on the fate of juvenile offenders. The course also covers a historical approach, the study of the implementation of texts (national and international jurisprudence), a critical approach as well as a more global reflection on the place of the child within the legal system.
Teaching methods
The course is given partly in the form of a lecture and partly on the basis of a reversed pedagogy involving preparation on the part of the students and active participation via role-playing. Various teaching techniques are also used to get students involved: use of Wooclap, projection of videos to launch a debate or introduce a point of the subject, illustration by recent case law decisions, etc. The teaching of the course is thus, as far as possible, part of an active and participatory approach. The idea is to involve the student as much as possible in a co-construction of knowledge. The participation of the students will be solicited in the form of questioning, the aim of which is not to evaluate the student but to personalise the dialogue in a large audience and to facilitate the acquisition of the skill of legal oral expression. In addition, external speakers are invited each year, with a variety of profiles (magistrate, lawyer, psychologist, historian, educator, etc.), in order to illustrate the subject matter and enable students to benefit from a concrete and interdisciplinary approach.
Evaluations
The assessment takes the form of a 3-hour written exam. It is based on the oral lecture and the accompanying Powerpoint slides. The evaluation is done with closed books. The student may, however, bring along legal texts and certain documents authorised by the teacher. Method : The evaluation has two parts. The first part takes the form of a multiple-choice questionnaire to check the student's perfect mastery of the concepts seen in the course (10 points). The second part takes the form of a practical exercise to be solved in order to assess the student's ability to put into practice and into situation (10 points). Evaluation criteria : - mastery of the concepts seen in the course ; - the ability to solve concrete cases correctly; - precision, relevance and rigour of the reasoning and its legal justification (reference to legal bases and case law); - the quality of the expression and the structuring of the answer.
Recommended readings
The oral course is illustrated by Powerpoint slides as well as by numerous useful appendices to deepen certain questions (doctrine articles, case law decisions, videos, observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, etc.), all available on WebCampus.
Language of instruction
French / FrançaisLocation for course
NAMUROrganizer
Faculté de droitRue de Bruxelles, 61
5000 NAMUR
