Introduction to Common Law Codi:  03.561    :  4
Consulta de les dades generals   Descripció   L'assignatura en el conjunt del pla d'estudis   Camps professionals en què es projecta   Coneixements previs   Informació prèvia a la matrícula   Objectius i competències   Continguts   Consulta dels recursos d'aprenentatge de què disposa l'assignatura   Informacions sobre l'avaluació a la UOC   Consulta del model d'avaluació  
ATENCIÓ: Aquest és el pla docent de l'assignatura per al primer semestre del curs 2020-2021. Us servirà per planificar la matrícula. Un cop comenci la docència, heu de consultar-lo a l'aula. (El pla docent pot estar subjecte a canvis.)

This course offers an introduction to the Common Law systems and, particularly, the USA legal system -as a key example. The course covers the conceptual ground of the common law tradition and refers to its key features. The objective is to familiarize students with the concept of common law and its basic distinction from the civil law tradition.

Amunt

This is an elective subject within the Degre of Law (Grau en Dret).

Amunt

In the currently globalized context of markets and international laws, it is fundamental that a law graduate has a basic knowledge of the Common law systems.

The course will offer very practical guidance to any future lawyer and legal professional and will prepare him/her for a better understanding of judicial rulings and contracts coming from Common-Law countries.

Amunt

The student needs to have a sufficient knowledge of the English language in order to be able to follow the course. Specifically, it is necessary that the student has successfully followed the courses "Idioma modern I (English)" and "Idioma modern II (English)" or has an equivalent certificate in English language. 

In addition, it is advisable that the student has some previous knowledge of the basics of the law. Accordingly, it is recommended (albeit not required) that the student has already taken the following courses within the law degree: 

6 Fundamentos históricos del derecho Derecho 
6 Introducción al derecho Derecho
6 Política y sociedad Ciencias políticas 
6 Sistema constitucional español Derecho 

Nevertheless, it is only logical that the higher the student's legal knowledge, the more he/she will be able to enjoy the course and draw parallelisms and differences about the civil and common law systems. For this reason, it is advisable that this elective course is taken during the final stage within the Law Degree curriculum.

Amunt

It is required that the student is fluent in English, since all the materials and the exercises in this course will ONLY be in English.

Amunt

The course covers the conceptual ground of the common law tradition and refers to its key features. The objective is to familiarize students with the concept of common law and its basic distinction from the civil law tradition, with a specific exam of the USA legal system.

By the end of this course, the student should be able to know and answer to the following: 

- What is common law? How does the common law tradition differ from the civil law tradition? 
- Which are the main characteristics of the current Common-law systems? 
- What is the basic structure of the American (USA) Common law system?
- Which are the fundamental features of the main areas of private and public law in the USA? 

 Learning objectives: 

- Identify the legal principles and the legal institutions of Common law systems. 
- Interpret legal texts of Common law systems. 
- Apply some basic Common Law principles to practical scenarios

Amunt

After a brief introduction to the main characteristics, historical origins and development of the common law tradition, the student will be ask to familiarize himself with the specifics of the USA common-law system. 

We will see how specific historical conditions in England resulted in the emergence of the common law tradition, which developed in parallel with but in a distinct manner from the legal organization of the continental Europe. Later, we will study how the English common law is exported to its colonies, most of them which currently form the "Commonwealth". 

We will examine the current Common law systems existing nowadays and give a brief outline of each of them (historical facts) and its political regime, together with the basics of its government, parliament and judicial structure, as well as some key elements of the legal profession and judicial terminology and citation norms. 

The second part of the course will be devoted to learning the basics of the different fields of private and public law in the USA, and applying some of the  concepts learned in the first part of the course into specific scenarios. 


The course materials consist of: 

- a module "Introduction to Common Law" with the history and main elements of the Common Law systems, and which includes an annex with the most common legal terms in Common law; This module is available online (Resources) 

- the book by A. Farnsworth, An Introduction to the Legal System of the United States; This book is available for download on ProQuest Ebook Central (link and instructions on Resources). 

- some additional readings, available online (Resources).

The studying schedule is structured in three units: 

UNIT 1 - Common Law: basic features, history and current regimes. Introduction to the US legal system -- PAC1 

UNIT 2 - The US regime: Judicial (Caselaw) and Legislative (Statutes) systems -- PAC2

UNIT 3 - The US regime: Procedure and Substance (Private and Public Law) --PAC 3 + PAC4

 

Amunt

Amunt

La Normativa acadèmica de la UOC disposa que el procés d'avaluació es fonamenta en el treball personal de l'estudiant i pressuposa l'autenticitat de l'autoria i l'originalitat dels exercicis fets.

La manca d'originalitat en l'autoria o el mal ús de les condicions en què es fa l'avaluació de l'assignatura és una infracció que pot tenir conseqüències acadèmiques greus.

Es qualificarà l'estudiant amb un suspens (D/0) si es detecta manca d'originalitat en l'autoria d'alguna activitat avaluable (pràctica, prova d'avaluació contínua (PAC) o final (PAF), o la que es defineixi al pla docent), sigui perquè ha utilitzat material o dispositius no autoritzats, sigui perquè ha copiat textualment d'internet, o ha copiat d'apunts, de materials, de manuals o d'articles (sense la citació corresponent), d'altres estudiants, o per qualsevol altra conducta irregular.

La qualificació de suspens (D/0) en les qualificacions finals d'avaluació contínua pot comportar l'obligació de fer l'examen presencial per a superar l'assignatura (si hi ha examen i si superar-lo és suficient per a superar l'assignatura segons indiqui el pla docent).

Quan aquesta mala conducta es produeixi durant la realització de les proves d'avaluació finals presencials, l'estudiant pot ser expulsat de l'aula, i l'examinador farà constar tots els elements i la informació relatius al cas.

D'altra banda, aquesta conducta pot donar lloc a la incoació d'un procediment disciplinari i l'aplicació, si escau, de la sanció que correspongui.

La UOC habilitarà els mecanismes que consideri oportuns per a vetllar per la qualitat de les seves titulacions i garantir l'excel·lència i la qualitat del seu model educatiu.

Amunt

Aquesta assignatura es pot superar per una doble via: d'una banda a partir de l'avaluació contínua (AC), i d'altra banda, mitjançant la realització d'un examen final (EX). Per a fer l'EX no cal haver superat l'AC. La fórmula d'acreditació de l'assignatura és la següent: AC o EX.

 

Amunt