Learning outcomes

The Social Law course covers labor law and social security law.

At the end of the course, the student will be able to:

  • Explain the originality and specificity of social law by distinguishing it from other branches of law and by differentiating situations according to the legal, social, economic, and human issues inherent to professional realities in the field;
  • Develop a critical and nuanced approach to the concepts studied in labor law and social security law by appropriately using the applicable legal framework, while taking into account social and legal developments;
  • Apply the legal framework and the general principles of labor law to practical situations;
  • Identify and frame the legal issues related to social law, based on practical cases or current events, and provide a reasoned response;
  • Read and analyze court decisions related to the subject matter of the course, both in French and in Dutch, by identifying and explaining the key elements, while developing critical thinking skills and establishing relevant links with the theoretical notions studied.


Goals

At the end of the course, the student should be able to:

‒ Take clear and comprehensive notes during oral presentations (lectures, tutorials, conferences, webinars, etc.) and use them to master the subject matter;

‒ Solve practical cases, similar to those encountered in professional life, by appropriately applying the concepts, rules, and principles studied;

‒ Explain and apply the main rules and principles of labor law and social security law;

‒ Accurately define the basic concepts of labor law and social security law;

‒ Explain the organization of social relations;

‒ Explain the organization and the general principles of social security;

‒ Explain the distribution of competences in social matters and identify the relevant institutions and services;

‒ Correctly explain and apply the hierarchy of norms;

‒ Distinguish and precisely define the different professional categories and apply the relevant legislation to them;

‒ Explain and identify the legal issues surrounding individual employment relationships, taking into account the employment contract from its conclusion to its termination, and situating it within its specific legal context;

‒ Correctly read and analyze case law decisions in French and Dutch;

‒ Develop and formulate a personal opinion, a critical point of view on any social law issue, in a structured, reasoned, and well-supported manner;

‒ Write with correct spelling, in compliance with the rules of grammar, syntax, and conjugation of the French language;

‒ Correctly use the Social Law Code as well as any other relevant legislative source, even when faced with a new problem, in order to analyze and resolve it;

‒ Develop a critical and nuanced perspective on issues raised by others or identified independently by the student, without necessarily limiting the analysis to strictly legal considerations.

Content

The Social Law course covers labor law and social security law.

It addresses the following topics:

·       Introductory remarks: definitions and interactions within social law, professional categories (employees, civil servants, self-employed workers), history of social law, organization and structure of work in Belgium;

·       Collective labor law and collective labor relations: professional organizations, trade unions, National Labor Council, joint committees, works councils, collective labor agreements, etc.;

·       Individual labor law: content and conclusion of the employment contract, performance of the employment contract, the employee’s private and family life, suspension of the employment contract, termination of the employment contract, statute of limitations;

·       Social law and inclusion: concepts, discrimination, social assistance, social security law (financing and organization, principles relating to social security benefits, with particular attention to certain social security schemes);

·       Social law and the environment.

The course content may evolve depending on current social developments, as well as material or pedagogical constraints.

Exercices

Tutorial sessions are organized throughout the academic year. During these sessions, the focus is mainly on practical exercises related to social security law and labor law and/or on the analysis and commentary of court decisions (in French and Dutch).

The exercises and references to the decisions to be prepared are communicated to students via Webcampus at least one week before the tutorial session. The preparation (referred to as the assignment) for each tutorial must be submitted via Webcampus before the announced deadline. Corrections are carried out collectively during the tutorial sessions. Everything covered and analyzed in the tutorials forms an integral part of the examination material.

Each written preparation must include:


  • the tutorial session number;
  • the date of the tutorial session;
  • the student’s first and last name;
  • the group to which the student belongs;
  • the program in which the student is enrolled (Law Bachelor).


Teaching methods

The course is primarily delivered as lectures, complemented by practical sessions (tutorials) and independent home study (IHS). The lectures are given in French, with the exception of one lecture that may be delivered in Dutch.

The practical sessions are also conducted in French, but students may be asked to complete readings or activities in Dutch.

Independent home study is based on documents and materials made available to students in due time through Webcampus (in the “IHS” folder). These materials are not covered during lectures: students must acquire them independently and may be examined on the topics addressed. IHS may include annotated slides, learning paths, online exercises, readings, or videos.

To highlight the importance of social law and make the subject as engaging as possible, the lectures are closely connected to current events and developments (social changes, strikes, new reforms, social dialogue, outsourcing, social benefits statistics, societal debates, etc.). Moreover, as with any field of law, social law evolves over time, and the course content adapts accordingly. Finally, the Social Law course is embedded in the Faculty of Law’s overarching educational theme, Re-enchanting the Earth. A specific lecture on this theme will be offered to students.

The lectures are supported by:

  • One or more publications or extracts from reference publications made available on Webcampus during the relevant lectures;
  • PowerPoint presentations, lecture notes, and other documents provided by the teaching team to support both lectures and IHS;
  • A Social Law Code (Code La Charte CLC4 Droit social, 2025–2026 edition);
  • A case law collection for 2025–2026 (available from January via Webcampus).

The foundation of the Social Law course lies in the lectures and, therefore, in the student’s lecture notes. Students are strongly encouraged to complement their notes with the content of the reference publications. When lectures are supported by PowerPoint presentations, these will be made available on Webcampus, in PDF format only, no later than the end of the relevant lectures. The purpose of the lectures is to present the subject, emphasize and explain key points, provide additional insights, and, where relevant, link the material to selected case law decisions included in the case law collection. It is essential that students base their study on notes taken during the current academic year, given the frequent changes in social legislation and the continuous adaptation of the course by the lecturer.

The use of the Code La Charte CLC4 Droit social is indispensable both during lectures, at the exam, and in practical sessions.

The case law collection includes a range of decisions in both French and Dutch, with the aim of illustrating and applying the material. All decisions included in the collection form part of the examination syllabus, regardless of language. The use of the case law collection (in either paper or electronic form) is indispensable during lectures and practical sessions. Students will regularly be required to read and prepare decisions in advance of the lecture.

The translation into Dutch of fundamental concepts is provided during the lectures depending on the subject matter. In addition, the translation of certain terms is included in the table of contents of the case law collection.

Students may post their questions on the Webcampus forum so that all participants can benefit from both the questions and the answers. Peer responses are encouraged, and the teaching team ensures the quality of the answers available on the forum. The forum is therefore the ideal platform for asking questions and obtaining reliable responses. For questions requiring a very detailed answer or for those relating to a personal situation, students are invited to arrange an appointment with the teaching team.

Towards the end of the course, a dedicated Q&A session is also organized. Students are required to submit their questions in advance (before the deadline indicated) via the channel specified by the lecturers.


Assessment method

Assessment Method

Students may choose between an oral examination or a written examination.

Objectives of the Assessment

Both oral and written examinations aim to ensure that students have achieved the course objectives and acquired the required learning outcomes (see above).

Assessment Methods

In both oral and written formats, mastery of the course objectives and learning outcomes may be assessed in several ways:

-       Concept comparison (a general question designed to evaluate whether the student has an overall command of the subject matter and is able to articulate the various notions in a relevant and well-argued manner, while respecting the requirements and rules of the French language);

-       Commentary on a text (generally a court decision—in French or Dutch—included in the 2025–2026 case law collection, available on Webcampus, or discussed during a tutorial) or on a quotation;

-       Resolution of practical cases (practical exercises similar to those proposed in tutorials but combining different legal issues, reflecting professional realities);

-       Multiple-choice questions, with or without justification of the chosen answer;

-       Multiple-response questions, with or without justification of the chosen answers;

-       Open-ended questions;

-       Closed questions.

Questionnaires are designed to cover the entire syllabus. A breakdown of marks is provided to students. However, the final grade is not purely arithmetic and depends on the overall assessment of the paper or oral exam by the professor (e.g., serious errors, omission of a major topic, etc.).

Organization of the Assessment

Examinations take place in person and without access to materials, whether oral or written. The written examination lasts 3 hours.

All practical details (date, time, venue, etc.) regarding the assessment will be communicated to students in due course.

Authorized Materials

 

During the exam, only the Social Law Code and the BAC Code are authorized, possibly supplemented by the texts listed under the “Legislation – Authorized Exam Texts” section of Webcampus.

In accordance with the guidelines issued by the Academic Secretary, only numerical cross-references are permitted in the codes.

These references must, of course, be noted alongside the relevant articles and not arbitrarily elsewhere in the code. Any non-compliant cross-references will be considered fraud.

Post-its may only be used as bookmarks to indicate relevant pages. Collections of post-its filled with numbers, other figures, letters, or words are strictly prohibited, as are arrow-shaped post-its or any other drawings. Any misuse of post-its will be considered fraud.

The current indexed amounts may be written by the student in the Social Law Code next to (or in place of) those included in the legal texts.

In addition, both written and oral examinations are subject to the Faculty of Law’s examination regulations. The use of any connected devices (smartphones, watches, tablets, etc.), as well as noise-canceling headsets, earphones, or any similar device, is strictly prohibited—even if switched off and stored away in a pocket.

Sources, references and any support material

Recommended readings are indicated or made available on Webcampus.

In addition, regular monitoring of current social developments is strongly advised in order to connect the theory covered in class with the practical application of social law.

Essential Materials


  • Each student’s personal lecture notes (students are logically responsible for ensuring their notes are complete and of good quality—see Teaching Method above);
  • Social Law Code (Code La Charte CLC4 Droit social, 2025–2026 edition);
  • Case law collection 2025–2026.

Language of instruction

French
Training Study programme Block Credits Mandatory
Bachelor in Philosophy Standard 0 4
Bachelor in Law Standard 0 4
Bachelor in Philosophy Standard 2 4
Bachelor in Law Standard 3 4
Bachelor in Philosophy Standard 3 4