Learning outcomes

Specific Skills

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

  • Understand that contract law may differ significantly from one legal system to another;

  • Analyse and compare legal rules from different legal systems;

  • Research and use foreign legal sources;

  • Master the methods of comparative legal analysis;

  • Identify convergences and divergences between national laws and international legal instruments;

  • Understand the influence of historical, cultural, economic, and political contexts on legal norms;

  • Develop a critical perspective on existing legal solutions;

  • Improve and apply their knowledge of English legal terminology, at least receptively.

Transferable Skills

  • Develop an awareness of the relative nature of legal solutions and the controversies they may generate;

  • Defend a viewpoint through reasoned legal argumentation;

  • Use legal terminology in several languages.

Goals

  • Understand the fundamental principles of contract law within different continental legal systems;

  • Identify and analyse similarities and differences among national contract law regimes;

  • Master the key concepts of contract law from an international perspective;

  • Assess how different legal systems address common contractual issues;

  • Understand mechanisms for the harmonisation of contract law at the international and European levels;

  • Acquire the skills necessary to deal with contracts in an international context.

Content

The Comparative Contract Law course offers a comparative study of the main European systems of contract law. It examines, in particular, Belgian, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, Swiss, and German law, as well as their ongoing reform projects. An introduction to the Common Law system complements this overview of national legal traditions.

The course explores the harmonisation of contract law through the Vienna Convention (CISG), the Draft Common Frame of Reference (DCFR), the UNIDROIT Principles, and the Principles of European Contract Law (PECL).

A specific section is devoted to European law and consumer protection.

The programme also analyses transformations in contract law resulting from new technologies, including artificial intelligence, smart contracts, and IT-related contracts.

Contemporary issues relating to sustainability and their impact on contractual relationships are also examined. In addition, the course includes an introduction to the rules of private international law applicable to contracts.

Teaching methods

The course consists of approximately 30 hours of instruction and combines online sessions with classes held in Namur.

Teaching will include:

  • Lectures delivered by professors participating in the Erasmus+ programme;

  • Group exercise sessions.

Assessment method

-Format :

Group project in the form of a written assignment, possibly accompanied by an oral presentation.

- Assessment Criteria :

  • Quality of legal analysis, rigour of reasoning, and legal justification;

  • Comparative dimension of the work;

  • Critical thinking and argumentation;

  • Presentation quality;

  • Collaborative work.

The final grade is not determined by a purely arithmetic calculation and depends on the instructors’ overall assessment of the submitted work.

Language of instruction

English
Training Block Credits Mandatory
Bachelor in Law 3 3 No