Introduction

1. To study legal systems: what, why, how?
2. The three major legal traditions: Civil Law, Common Law and Islamic Law

Part I: Introduction to the Common Law system

Chap. 1: Historical roots: Common law courts and equity courts

Chap. 2: The importance of precedent

Part II: The main Common Law countries: English law and USA law

Chap. 1: The continuity of Common law tradition in England

Chap. 2: Common law tradition and legal specificities in the USA

Part III: Nuances of the classic separation between Civil Law and Common Law

Chap. 1: Integration of indigenous laws in Common Law countries: Australia and South Africa

Chap. 2: Legal traditions mixing in Canada

Modalités pédagogiques : 20h lecture in English, with interaction with the students, who will be invited to do some preliminary research during the semester, to understand better the course

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Plan (simplifié) du cours :

PART I – General introduction

• Introduction - Defining political science
  • I) Preliminary definition
  • II) Object definition
  • III) Methodological issues
  • IV) Seminar’s objectives
• Chapter 1 - Political power and the state
  • I) Living in society
  • II) How do we justify the allocation of power and scarce resources?
  • III) Ideologies at the core of politics
• Chapter 2 - Political actors
  • I) Political parties
  • II) Interest-groups and lobbying
• Chapter 3 - Political processes – The example of collective action

PART II – Comparative politics

• Introduction
• Chapter 1 – The evolution of the French parliamentary system of government
• Chapter 2 – The transformation of the American presidential system of government

The seminar will provide students with an understanding of the basic concepts and methods of political science, to explain how political power has been analysed and limited. Besides studying the debates surrounding the political science’s definition and methods of analysis, the seminar will highlight the main actors and processes that bring political phenomena to life.

The first semester will focus on actors (such as voters, political parties, or trade unions) and processes, to build a theorical frame, that will be used during the second semester, to analyse different political systems, especially France and the United States. The seminar will therefore combine a theoretical approach, by studying political theory; and a practical approach, by examining comparative politics.

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