Sources, principles and methods of law I [EFASB210]

Learning outcomes

The course aims to develop legal and cross-cutting skills. Legal skills • To appropriate the concepts, rules and principles that underlie most branches of Belgian law essentially (a "legal toolbox"). • To understand law as a system made up of a diversity of interrelated sources. • To develop the prerequisites of a culture in the human and social sciences, capable of decoding legal phenomena. • Apply legal tools in the daily life of a lawyer. • To master the basics of critical thinking about the law. • Mastering the methods and tools for researching general documents useful for the analysis of a particular legal topic • To move from the abstraction of the norm to the concrete fact and, conversely, to transform a field problem into legal questions, in particular through practical work. • Be aware of the relative and evolving nature of legal solutions and the controversies they may generate. Cross-cutting competences • Enjoying learning and persevering. • Gain confidence in their skills, including regular assessment via the digital learning pathway and the assignment. • Work independently, at your own pace but within a deadline. • Working in groups (e.g. to solve a concrete case). • Public speaking • Communicate, in writing and orally, an idea, a reasoning or the fruit of legal research in compliance with scientific ethics. • Defend a point of view in an argumentative way (in a debate; in a developmental question) • Enriching the subject matter with personal interventions • Use the French language as a tool for legal thinking and master legal terminology • Gradually gain confidence and autonomy in the work.

Objectives

The Sources and Principles of Law course is, first of all, a "legal toolbox". It aims to provide students with the legal foundations necessary to build knowledge in the specific subjects they will be taught during their law degree. The course also emphasises the importance of taking an interest in current affairs and forming one's own opinion that can be debated by peers. Secondly, the Sources and Principles of Law course aims to provide students with an overview of the coherence and essential role of law in our democratic society, through questions relating to the definition of law, its legitimacy, the identification of branches of law, the development of law, its application and interpretation. Finally, the Sources and Principles of Law course also aims to give each student an insight into the new professional horizons that will open up to him or her or how the professional skills already acquired could be mobilised in a new profession linked to the Bachelor or Master of Laws degree. This dimension, related to the purpose of law studies, is important in the first year to find the necessary motivation to overcome any discouragement that may appear during the studies.

Content

The course is structured in 4 main questions below. It is given in 8 lessons.