Legal History from the Middle Ages to the Contemporary Period

The course provides the broad outlines of the history of law from the Middle Ages to the modern age and the tools necessary to understand the main legal aspects of European civilization from the 12th to the 20th centuries.

By the end of the course the student will have acquired a clear and concise knowledge of the legal sources that characterized the European continent from the Middle Ages to the 20thcentury. They shall also be able to place the most representative events and figures in their chronological and geographical contexts. The student will be able to use language tools (language properties, correct specific lexicon) to express, in a clear and effective form, concepts of a political, institutional, economic, and religious nature; they will be able to read critically historiographical works and use the main tools, including digital tools, for the research and analysis of sources.
These skills will be acquired through a direct and continuous meeting with the instructor in the classroom. The discussion around the proposed sources will be an essential moment of critical reflection and methodological learning and it will be aimed at developing the ability to link to institutions at different times to the diverse laws used and to understand why.
Participation in meetings and seminars organized within the Department of Historical Studies will also be of great importance.
Students opting not to attend the lessons will be able to make use of the educational tools provided by the instructor on Ariel, deepen their knowledge of main topics through special readings with the agreement with the instructor, and of course contact the instructor either by e-mail and during office hours.