Hiroshima University Syllabus

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Japanese
Academic Year 2024Year School/Graduate School Liberal Arts Education Program
Lecture Code 62154001 Subject Classification Area Courses
Subject Name Law and Politics I
Subject Name
(Katakana)
Subject Name in
English
Law and Politics I
Instructor MOUSOURAKIS GEORGE
Instructor
(Katakana)
ムスラキス ジョージ
Campus Higashi-Hiroshima Semester/Term 1st-Year,  First Semester,  2Term
Days, Periods, and Classrooms (2T) Fri5-8:IAS J305
Lesson Style Lecture Lesson Style
(More Details)
 
The teaching of the course will take the form of formal lecturing and class discussions. Study guides will be provided for each lecture every week. These are designed to assist students to understand the material being lectured on. The instructor will also use video materials and power point slides to aid students in the learning process.  
Credits 2.0 Class Hours/Week   Language of Instruction E : English
Course Level 1 : Undergraduate Introductory
Course Area(Area) 24 : Social Sciences
Course Area(Discipline) 01 : Law
Eligible Students All students
Keywords Law, legal systems, legal traditions, politics 
Special Subject for Teacher Education   Special Subject  
Class Status within
Liberal Arts Education
Area Courses(Courses in Arts and Humanities/Social Sciences) Category:Law / Political Sciences / Sociology / Economics / Education 
Expected Outcome1. To be able to explain the formation and development processes and contemporary issues of each academic discipline.
2. To be able to explain historical and contemporary issues that span multiple academic disciplines from multifaceted perspectives. 
Class Objectives
/Class Outline
This course is designed as an introduction to the essentials of law and legal systems. It aims to provide insight into the nature and function of law and familiarize students with key concepts, institutions and processes in various fields of law, such as constitutional law, criminal law, procedural law, property law, contracts and torts. The course seeks to place law in its social, economic, political, historical and philosophical context and thus not only to provide students with a knowledge of legal institutions but also to help them to develop a critical understanding of the operation of those institutions in society.  
Class Schedule lesson1: Introduction to law: Nature of law; aims and functions of law; law and morality;
law and politics.
lesson2: Forms of law and legal system: domestic, international and transnational legal systems; customary law; religious legal systems.  
lesson3: Theoretical perspectives on law: philosophy of law; legal history; sociology of law.
lesson4: The concepts of legal tradition and legal culture; legal families; the Western legal tradition.
lesson5: The Roman and civil law tradition; ancient Roman law; the reception of Roman law in Europe; codification and modern civil law systems; characteristics of civil law systems.
lesson6: The English common law tradition; origins and development of the common law;  characteristics of common law systems.
lesson7:  The influence of Western law in Asia and other parts of the world; legal transplants; hybrid legal systems.  
lesson8: The Japanese legal system: the historical and political context of Japanese law; sources and development of Japanese law; Western influences on Japanese law.
lesson9: Divisions of law; substantive and procedural law; primary sources of law; legislation; case law; international treaties; literary sources of law.
lesson10: Fundamental legal concepts: right; duty; power; liability; sanction; natural and legal person; jurisdiction; remedies.
lesson11: Constitutional law: types of constitution; legislative sovereignty; the rule of law; principle of separation of powers; checks and balances; federalism.
lesson12: Criminal Law: criminalization of conduct; types of criminal offence; criminal justice; punishment and sentencing; prosecution; forms of trial; legality principles; limits of criminal law; criminal justice in Japan.
lesson13: Introduction to civil law; law of property; law of obligations; tort law; contract law.
lesson14: Public international law; branches of international law; sources of international law; relationship between international law and domestic law; international politics and international law.
lesson15: In-class test and presentation of research carried out by students. 
Text/Reference
Books,etc.
There is no set textbook for this course. Reading materials will be provided. Reference books and other sources will be included in the handouts delivered to the students.   
PC or AV used in
Class,etc.
 
(More Details)  
Learning techniques to be incorporated  
Suggestions on
Preparation and
Review
The instructor will expect students to have covered the prescribed reading by the end of the course. Students are encouraged to read more widely if they get interested in a topic or if they find the material difficult and want to start with a more basic introduction.

 
Requirements The course requires competence in English.  
Grading Method Assessment for this course will be based on class attendance, a written research report, presentation of research in class, and an in-class test.
Class attendance: 20%
Written research report: 30%
Presentation of research in class: 20%
In-class test: 30%
 
Practical Experience  
Summary of Practical Experience and Class Contents based on it  
Message  
Other   
Please fill in the class improvement questionnaire which is carried out on all classes.
Instructors will reflect on your feedback and utilize the information for improving their teaching. 
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