ODEC 9115 - Philosophy and law

This course invites students to engage with canonical philosophical texts from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries to fundamentally reimagine how law operates and what

it can become. Rather than treating theory and philosophy as abstract academic exercises, this course demonstrates their power as practical tools for legal innovation

and critical thinking. In this course, students will encounter key philosophical works not as historical artifacts, but as living resources for contemporary legal thought.

Through deliberately anachronistic and non-exegetical readings, we will mine these texts for insights that can revolutionize our understanding of law, legal institutions,

and legal frameworks. Each session focuses on a carefully selected group of non-legal texts, extracting ideas that challenge conventional legal wisdom and open new

possibilities for legal practice and theory.

Students should realize that this course is intellectually demanding, requiring serious engagement with philosophy, critical theory, cultural studies, literary analysis, and

interdisciplinary thinking. Yet, at the end of this course, students will emerge as more well-rounded intellectual figures, equipped with unique conceptual tools that will

distinguish their thinking and enrich their professional capabilities throughout their careers.

Aucun

Interactive seminars where all students are expected to participate based on their reading of the materials prescribed for each seminar

Continuous assessment : 100 % of the final grade.

Students will write an essay (4000 words – footnotes excluded) on a topic provided by the lecturer a few weeks before the end of the course. They will submit their final essay at Theoriesofinternationallaw@gmail.com. (To avoid confusion, please submit your essay using the following heading: [NAME] – Philosophy IL essay”).

Participation will be taken into account and will contribute to the award of one extra point (+1) or the loss of a point (-1). More specifically, active participation will be rewarded with one extra point (+1) and insufficient participation will be sanctioned by the loss of one point (-1).

Weekly reading (in English). Approx 3 hours of preparation per week