The aim of the course is to illustrate the fundamental elements of the law of the Catholic Church (canon law) and other religious laws (Islamic law and Jewish law), highlighting the peculiar characteristics of religious laws and their role in regulating the lives of the faithful. The analysis of confessional juridical systems is particularly relevant today for the students in Law, given the context of religious and cultural pluralism of today's societies: religious laws, in fact, are different from the secular ones, but increasingly interact with the state legal systems, also generating potential contrasts between different rules. Students must therefore demonstrate that they have acquired a basic knowledge of the fundamental characteristics of confessional rights and of the specificities and differences of religious rights with respect to secular ones. In addition, we intend to offer a knowledge of how the different religious laws regulate some issues relevant to the lives of the adherents and for their interaction with state legal systems (marriage, gender issues, religious rules concerning health and dietary rules). Student must also demonstrate that they have acquired awareness of the context of legal pluralism of today's society in which the different religious traditions coexist. The skills to be achieved also concern the ability to make comparisons between different legal systems, and the ability to understand the different ways in which religious and secular laws apply.
Course Prerequisites
Students are requested to have an interest in understanding other cultures and some mental agility in order to break the “schemas” of the legal positivism and of the State centrality.
Teaching Methods
Classes will be held through lectures (giving the overall framework on the different subjects). Besides lessons, students will find documents, reading materials, power point presentations and videos uploaded via the E-learning platform. Other teachers and researchers will participate in some lessons in order to provide a more in-depth analysis about some specific issues. The course includes 20 hours of practical activities: seminars, discussions on cases and practical problems, movies and discussion.
Assessment Methods
Oral examination.
Contents
In the first part of the course we will analyze the common characteristics of the different religious legal systems and the differences with the secular legal systems. In the second part, the essential structures of each confessional right will be examined (sources, historical evolution, fundamental principles). In the third part of the course we will analyze how canon, Jewish and Islamic laws regulate their internal organization as well as some particular issues, that are relevant for the life of the adherents and for their interaction with state legal systems (marriage, relations between the sexes, religious rules about health and dietary rules).
Course Language
Italian
More information
The teacher will be tutoring students after lessons or by appointment, also via Microsoft Teams (contact through email).
