LLM813 Legal Ethics

[2–0, 2 cr.]

The course is divided into two parts, Ethics and Philosophy of Law. The Ethics component includes lectures on an area of moral philosophy known as ‘Applied Ethics’. This will involve discussions on issues such as: equality and discrimination, euthanasia, abortion, our obligations to poor and starving people, the ways in which we ought to treat animals and what ought to be done in situations where people have to make choices about suffering, life, and death. The Philosophy of Law component includes discussions on the principal theories of law, key issues in law – such as, law, rights, obligations, responsibilities, and punishment —, and the ethical foundations of the legal system. Thus, the aim of the course as a whole is to evaluate the main philosophical theories of ethics and law, probe central moral and legal issues, examine the practical application of such theories and issues, and analyze the interrelationship between ethics and law.