Module Area C: Economic & Business Law

Learning Objectives

This course introduces the basic legal concepts of data protection and explains how to apply the General Data Protection Regulation. It will help to understand the legal framework of the Data Protection Act.

Learning Content

The course consists of five parts: Introduction and Basic Structures; General Personal Law and Basic Data Protection; Personal Data and Processing; Justification of Processing; Protection in Public and Private Law.

Learning Objectives

The seminar is offered as a block seminar and is concluded with a seminar paper.

Learning Content

The selection of topics will vary each semester depending on the topic of the main seminar. 

Learning Objectives

Students will become familiar with the various international conventions governing the carriage of goods as well as the various regulations governing freight forwarding and logistics services. The course will provide a basic understanding of mandatory uniform law, standard terms, and the various national jurisdictions on the subject. It will demonstrate how new technologies challenge the old legal system.

Learning Content

Uniform mandatory law; carriage of goods; transportation and shipping; charter parties; transportation documents; urban and sustainable transportation.

Learning Objectives

The course provides an overview of the major methods and procedures of English common law. It serves to introduce students to common law techniques, including legal reasoning, interpretation, and the application of precedent.

Learning Content

Common law is the common law based on judicial decisions and recorded in reports of decided cases, which has been applied by the common law courts in England since the Middle Ages. It has evolved into the legal system that also applies today in the United Kingdom, the United States, and most member states of the Commonwealth. The course examines the major approaches in common law courts through the analysis of decided cases. Each topic is addressed through a key principle and relevant case law. Students examine the normative development of precedents related to the topic. As part of the class, they have the opportunity to work on sample cases to practice legal reasoning.

Learning Objectives

The aim of the module is to provide you with the opportunity to gain practical insight into the key elements of English contract and tort law.  This objective will be achieved through the study of case law, legislation, contract provisions and academic literature referred to in the syllabus.

Learning Content

The module examines contract and tort in the context of common law with some comparisons to civil law systems. You will be introduced to the basic principles of the subject and have the opportunity to acquire a deeper knowledge and understanding of the legal rules governing contracts and torts.

Learning Objectives

Students will write an essay on a current topic in European company law, thereby acquiring in-depth knowledge of the essay topic and a broader understanding of European company law in general.

Learning Content

Content of the course in European Company Law.

Learning Objectives

Students are introduced to EU policy and legislation and to the case law of the European Court of Justice.

Learning Content

EU policy and legislation in the area of capital markets, covering both relevant EU legislation (e.g. Prospectus Regulation, Market Abuse Regulation, Transparency Directive) and the case law of the European Court of Justice.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the module, students should be familiar with relevant international instruments of the international trade area and be able to apply basic principles of the WTO framework. Furthermore, students should understand the complexities of international trade law.

Learning Content

This course provides an overview of world trade law, with an emphasis on food aspects. It introduces students to the treaty architecture of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and certain other regional trade arrangements. Topics include the historical, legal, regulatory, and political economy of the international trade framework; the relationship between international and domestic law and regulation, particularly with respect to state arbitration and compliance issues; standard setting; and the WTO dispute settlement system. Special attention is also given to the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade and the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.

Learning Objectives

Students will be familiarized with the special legal problems of international commercial disputes. In this context, the basics of conflict of laws are part of the lecture. In addition, students will gain in-depth knowledge of the Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) as the most important set of rules for international trade.

Learning Content

History, objectives, functions of international trade law; introduction to major sets of international trade rules; case exercises.

Learning Objectives

In the course, students will cover the legal framework for the resolution and arbitration of international commercial disputes, in particular the implications of the relevant EU regulations (Rome I Regulation, Rome II Regulation, Brussels I Regulation) and the New York Convention on International Commercial Arbitration.

Learning Content

The course includes practical case studies and also includes a moot arbitration hearing.

Learning Objectives

At the end of the module, students should be able to distinguish between the branches of a legal system and the different levels of law (national, international, supranational) and analyze their interactions. Likewise, they should be able to describe the roles and functions of the EU institutions, as well as the basics of their historical development and competences.

Learning Content

The aim of the module is to provide students with a comprehensive introduction to law, focusing on EU law, international law and food law. The course is divided into four topics, starting with a basic introduction to law, followed by an introduction to European law and specifically food law. Next, basic information on international law is provided to prepare students for the following courses. Finally, the last topic area provides insights into legal research and legal writing.

Learning Objectives

The goal of the courses is to enable you to understand the role of legal norms in regulating the behavior of states and individuals in international society, as well as the relationship between domestic law and international law.  This goal is achieved through the study of decided cases, legislation, treaty provisions, and scholarly literature referenced in the curriculum.

Learning Content

This course is an introduction to the general problems, sources, and techniques of public international law. Public international law is a system of legal norms designed primarily to regulate relations between sovereign states.  For example, public international law defines the minimum standard of treatment that a sovereign state must provide to the nationals of another state within its territory and the responsibilities of one state to another for failure to meet the required standard of treatment.  Increasingly, individuals are also a direct concern of international law.