7872. Comparative Law and Rights

From a human-rights and international-litigation perspective, the course will deal with constitutional law as well as specific areas of private law such as civil law, civil procedure, and business law. It will first introduce the civil-law tradition, along with the legal history of Continental Europe and Latin America. With a focus on the latter region but constant references to the former, the discussion will then shift to constitutional law: to the notion of constitutionalism, basic principles, the vindication of rights, and second- and third-generation entitlements. Thereafter, it will likewise zero in on civil law¿in particular, civil codes, interpretation, codified sexism, and civil remedies as well as on civil procedure specifically, the conception of procedure, procedural guaranties, and collective actions. The class will close with an analogous exploration of corporate law. Throughout, it will contrast legal institutions from the United States.