This module introduces students to French law, legal institutions and legal language as well as French legal culture and tradition. It encourages comparisons with English law and the common law tradition. It teaches students how to do the legal exercises typically required in French law faculties and develops the language skills needed to study French law further in a French University.

• Describe, explain, analyse and evaluate some of the principal characteristics and concepts of French Public Law and the modern French constitution and state, relating them to their historical, political and social context. These may include the following key elements: the Constitution, the structures of Government, legislative bodies and the role ofthe Conseil constitutionnel; key elements of legal method and institutions: sources of law, the court system, civil and criminal procedure, the role of the judiciary, the legal profession and legal education.
• Explain, analyse and evaluate the principal legal rules, procedures or practices relevant to the topics studied;
• Demonstrate and apply understanding of French legal methodologies as expressed in typical legal exercises required by French Law faculties (for example dissertation and/orcommentaire de texte).

A mixture of lectures and tutorials 

The lectures are based on French texts with explanations in French and English. They introduce students to the principal institutions and areas of law under discussion. The seminars are conducted primarily in French. They aim to teach students how to approach the drafting of dissertations (essays) in accordance with French legal conventions. This is done through questions and group discussion and by asking students (usually in pairs) to prepare and present detailed plans for such exercises with accompanying introductions.

• The French language skills required to understand, analyse and discuss primary and secondary materials written in French.
• When presented with a proposition or a primary text in French raising legal issues: identify and explain the significance of legal issues explicitly or implicitly raised, evaluate the significance of the legal issues in their social context; identify the primary arguments for and against a proposition, assess the strengths and weaknesses of those arguments and come to a considered conclusion.
• The French legal methodology of the dissertation as practiced in French law faculties.
• When presented with an essay question, structure an answer in French in accordance with the conventional structures and forms used in French law faculties (two part structure).
• When presented with a question relating to a particular topic studied in the module, prepare and present orally an answer in French.
• Effective use of library materials in both electronic and paper form.

The modules will be summatively assessed by means of one piece of coursework (a 2500 word dissertation/essay in French) 65%, an oral examination, 25% and a preparation mark, 10%. The oral examination will require students to discuss and answer questions for approximately 10 minutes in relation to a particular topic drawn on those studied during the module. The preparation mark will be based on essay (dissertation) plans that students will have to produce for each seminar. Students will be able to submit their essay plans for either tutor review or peer review and will receive either individual or general feedback. Students will then have the opportunity to amend their essay plans before deciding which individual piece they want to submit in January.

The module may deal with any of the following

• Introduction to French law and French legal methods (dissertation)

• Public law

Constitutional law I: the 1958 Constitution, the President

Constitutional law IV: the 1958 Constitution, the structure of Government and Parliament

Constitutional law V: the 1958 Constitution, the accountability of Government to Parliament

Constitutional law VI: 1958 Constitution, Constitutional Review and Conseil constitutionnel

Administrative law I: Introduction, key concepts

Administrative law II: The public service

Latest editions of the following:

Steiner, E., French Law. A Comparative Approach (Oxford: Oxford University Press)

Bell, J.S., S. Byron and S. Whittaker, Principles of French Law (Oxford: Oxford University Press)

Latest editions of the following:

Laètitia Lethiellieux, Introduction au Droit, Les Zooms (Paris Gualino)

Patricia Vannier, Fiches d’Introduction au Droit (Paris : Ellipses)

Philippe Foillard, Droit constitutionnel et institutions politiques (Paris: Paradigme)

H Portelli, Droit Constitutionnel, (Paris: Dalloz, Hypercours)

G Dumont and Lombard, Droit administratif, (Paris: Dalloz, Hypercours)

Philippe Foillard, Droit administratif (Paris : Paradigme)

Bell, J.S, French Legal Cultures (London: Butterworths)

Elliott, C., E Jeanpierre and C Vernon French Legal System (London: Pearson)