The Catholic University of America


 Comparative Foundations of Modern Law (3 hrs.)


International Law & Relations > Advanced Courses

This course surveys European legal history from Roman law to the great codifications of the 19th century in Europe: The Code Napoleon and the Burgerliches Gesetzbuch of the European civil law. The purpose of the course is to introduce to the four great legal traditions of the Western European tradition: Roman law, the Ius commune, English Common Law, and the Civil law tradition. The course will compare these legal systems by examining four themes:

  1. Public law, legislation, and codification
  2. Systems of procedure
  3. Development of jurisprudence
  4. Role of the jurist in society

The course also will examine the origins of English Common Law and compare it to civil (continental) law. At the end of the semester we will compare the present day Common Law legal system to the Civil Law system and reflect on the historical reasons for the similarities and the differences. The course will require two 15-page interpretative essays. Dr. Pennington.