English Courses
First Semester
Dr. Omer Kimhi , University of Haifa
This course provides a general introduction to the law and to the study of law. Students will become acquainted with the main fields of law: private law, criminal law, constitutional and administrative law. Specific attention will be paid to the basic differences between common law and civil law systems and to the relationship between national laws and European law. Besides the study and discussion of literature, students will train specific legal skills, such as the use of statutes, the analysis of judgments and the solution of legal cases. This course seeks to: * Harmonize levels of understanding of law among lawyers and economists * Facilitate among lawyers from various countries an understanding of basic legal concepts and doctrines across legal systems *Introduce both lawyers and economists to legal concepts and methods that are instrumental in the field of law and economics.
Introduction to Microeconomics
Dr. Hila Nevo, University of Haifa
Economic analysis of law investigates legal rules and enforcement from an efficiency perspective. The main purpose of this course is to equip students with the fundamental set of conceptual tools of microeconomics, which can be applied to different economic and regulatory problems. After dwelling into the analytics of consumers’ and producers’ choice, the course discusses the main market structures, risk and uncertainty, and market failures.
Concepts and Methods of Law and Economics
Prof. Alessandro Pomelli, Bologna University Italy
27/10 || 28/10 || 31/10 || 01/11 || 02/11 || 03/11 16:00 – 19:30
This course offers an introduction to the basic concepts and methods of law and economics. It illustrates the broad utility of these tools by way of applications to the analysis of various core areas of law. This course does not aim to develop practical skills or new insights, but rather to show the broad utility of economic analysis of law. By combining examples from various areas of law, students will learn that the economic approach to law provides a unified vision of the law, tying together diverse areas of the law into a common theoretical structure.
Economic Analysis of Private Law
Prof. Jaroslaw Beldowski, Dr. Hila Nevo
15/11 || 16/11 || 17/11 || 18/11 || 21/11 || 22/11 || 23/11 12:00-16:00 ; 19/11 09:00 – 13:00
28/11 || 05/12 || 12/12 || 14/12 10:00 – 14:00
This course aims at giving students an overview of the most important insights from the economic analysis of private law. It combines economic analysis of property law, tort law, and contract law. As far as property law is concerned, the course integrates the legal and the economic approach to ownership and illustrates costs and benefits of different ways to protect entitlements. As far as tort law is concerned, the course offers a comparative analysis of the legal principles from an economic perspective, particularly regarding the structure of liability, the damage compensation, and the insurance. As far as contract law is concerned, the course illustrates its goals and functions from an economic perspective. Moreover, it aims to provide a functional understanding of the spectrum of feasible contracts and of their use in legal practice.
Economic Analysis of Public Law
Prof. Liam Wells, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
22/11 || 23/11 || 24/11 || 25/11 || 29/11 || 30/11 || 01/12 || 02/12 || 06/12 || 07/12 || 08/12 || 09/12 09:00-10:30
The course will offer an introduction to the economic approach to public law, an introduction that will emphasize broad philosophical and theoretical debates, rather than techniques and very specific topics. It will adopt a broad view of Economics, embarking on positive analysis – the explanation of legal norms and institutions, as well as normative analysis – ways of evaluating these norms and institutions. These analyses will be based on various branches of economics, such as neoclassic microeconomics, welfare economics, behavioral economics, focusing on public choice, the branch of economics dealing with collective decision-making, which is a key foundation of public law – the law governing the state institutions and the relations among them, as well as the relations between the state and its individuals.
International Lawyering and Contract Drafting
Prof. Richard Schepard, Paris
16/11, 22/11, 25/11/21, 29/11, 02/12/21, 06/12/21 14:00 – 17:30
This Course has several interwoven objectives: How to think and react like an international business lawyer in the best interests of your clients; How to approach the initial stages of a business transaction; How to draft international business contracts and techniques related thereto; what to expect and how to act as a trainee in a law firm or the legal department of a company.
An Introduction to American Insurance Law
Prof. Chaim Saiman,Villanova University Charles Widger, USA
9/12, 12/12, 14/12, 16/12, 19/12, 21/12/2021 16:00-19:30
This course introduces students to the basics of American insurance law. We examine the central doctrines that apply to insurance policy and compare them the interpretive techniques that prevail under general contract law. The course concludes applying this material to recent lawsuits arising out of the COVID-19 crisis. Close to 95% of dollars recovered through the American tort system derive from insurance funds. This course introduces students to the fundamentals of liability insurance. We focus on core aspects of the insurance system, common policy provisions and their interpretation.
Second Semester
Introduction to International Criminal Law
Prof. Florian Jessberger, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
31/03/22 || 03/04/22 || 05/04/22 || 07/04/22 || 10/04/22 || 12/04/22 16:00-19:30
The course will examine the history, the key institutions and the basic principles of international criminal law. Topics covered in the course include: (i) the historical development of international criminal law, from the Nuremberg to the establishment of the International Criminal Court; (ii) the crimes under international law, such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression; (iii) the basic concepts of attributing criminal responsibility under international law; (iv) the mechanisms of enforcement, both international and domestic; and (v) domestic perspectives on international criminal law, including the implementation of substantive international criminal law into national legal orders.
Data governance and competition law – an EU Perspective
Prof. Simonetta Vezzoso , Trento University, Italy
16/05/22 || 18/05/22 || 19/05/22 || 25/05/22 || 26/05/22 16:00-19:30
The European Union has been the world leader in the area of data protection since the first national legislation in the field was enacted by the German State of Hesse back in 1970. In the last decade, and due to the digital revolution, the interaction with competition law has become increasingly complex, as played out in all relevant enforcement areas, from cartel prohibitions (e.g., data spaces) to merger control (e.g., the Google/Fitbit merger). A new layer of complexity is added by a more regulatory approach by way of the enactment of the Digital Markets Act. The course will deal with the interface between data protection and competition policy as it is currently evolving in the EU, both “horizontally” and with regard to specific sectors (e.g., finance).
Prof. Jakub Harašta, Prof. Radim Polčák, Masaryk University, Czechia
25/04/22 || 01/05/22 16:00-19:30; 27/04/22 || 03/05/22 14:00-17:30; 29/04/22 || 06/05/22 09:00-12:30
Legal issues related to cybersecurity cover broad ranges of topics ranging from the criminal law all the way to the international humanitarian law. This course provides an overview of legal issues related to cybersecurity and focuses on the EU legal framework of both the cybersecurity (NIS directive, Cybersecurity Act) and other legislation focusing on data protection and security both within the EU (GDPR, Directive on European critical infrastructures) and the Council of Europe (Budapest Convention). Broader considerations for international cybersecurity (UN GGE, UN OEWG) will be discussed and analysed. The course will make use of case studies focusing on individual countries, issues and cybersecurity incidents.
Prof. Ulrich Haas, University Zurich, Swisserland
09/05/22 || 11/05/22 || 15/05/22 16:00-19:30; 13/05/22 09:00-12:30 ושתי הרצאות מוקלטות מראש
Doping poses a threat to organised sport because it calls its fundamental values into question. Sports organisations therefore invest a lot of money and time in sophisticated systems to combat doping in sport. In doing so, the sports organisations are not only limited by the natural sciences, but above all by the overall legal framework. In addition, the fight against doping takes place in a difficult and very dynamic transnational environment. The course consists of three parts. In the first part, the historical, social and ethical foundations that shape the fight against doping will be presented. The second part then deals with the legal and organisational foundations of the fight against doping. Finally, the third part is dedicated to the settlement of doping-related legal disputes.
Prof. Steven Ratner, University of Michigan, USA
02/05, 24/05 16:00-19:30 zoom || 08/05, 10/05, 17/05 16:00-19:30 || 15/05 12:00-15:30
The last three decades have witnessed a deluge of global, national, and local interest in the impact of business activities on the enjoyment of human rights. From reports of sweatshops used for apparel production, to economic activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, to concerns about high-tech’s threats to privacy, numerous stakeholders are pondering the possibilities for regulation of business regarding their human rights impacts. The forms and loci of regulation vary enormously, and debates have deepened over which sort of regulation is legitimate or effective. This class will offer a deep dive into the topic, as we consider the changing landscape in international law on business and human rights, particularly since the issuance by the UN Human Rights Council in 2011 of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. We will examine the roles for different actors – states, companies, investors, and others – in regulating business behavior, as well as the possibilities for remedies for those affected by corporate behavior in judicial and other venues. The course will consider numerous different sectors (although certainly not all), with a more detailed treatment of several particularly compelling issues.
Global Technology Law and Policy
Prof. Michael Geist, Prof. Tal Zrasky , University of Ottawa
1/5, 2/5, 3/5, 6/5 – Haifa; 17/5 – ZOOM; 10-13/05 – Bocconi
Global Technology Law and Policy is an intensive three-week course that examines the development of global technology and intellectual property policy. The ciurse is a joint initiative of the University of Ottawa and the University of Haifa with ten students from each university participating. The first week of the seminar will be held in Ottawa with five classes focused on global technology law institutions including the World Intellectual Property Organization, ICANN, the ITU, the European Union, the OECD and other private and public global forces and entities. Classes will also feature several guest lectures and academic site visits. Students will transfer after the first week to the University of Haifa, where classes will continue during weeks two and three on the global institutions and the development on policies on intellectual property, Internet governance, cybersecurity and privacy. Students will form project groups to focus on a single specific policy issue and present their findings to the class in the final week of classes. In addition, they will submit a final paper related to the course’s materials, in accordance to the predefined scope of seminar papers at the University of Haifa – Faculty of Law.
