RBC228_Course outline.pdfRBC228_Course outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

The course is aimed at introducing the students with instruments and tactics how to think about the law. The participants will assess various answers which have been given to the big and deceptively simple question: What is Law? They will be introduced to a set of techniques used to analyse and apply the law; and to determine the appropriate weight that should be accorded to different sources of law. First, in order to understand the notion of law as a system made of certain type of rules the course will address the question what makes given rule a binding legal norm. The aim of this is to reveal the different sources of law and their respective legal force, the interplay between them and how to question the validity of any rule. Further, we’ll look at the methods of legal interpretation. With examples from national, foreign, European and international legal texts we will be looking for a common method behind the reality which may see chaotic on the surface. In addition, we will tackle the problematics of dispute resolution. Finally, we will be looking whether law pursues a moral justification of its own or depends on it.


RBA303_Course Outline.pdfRBA303_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

The module introduces core issues of legal philosophy and critical approaches to legal practice and legal thought. The programme of learning provides students with core skills of critical analysis and with the opportunity to reflect critically at an advanced level on core legal material, including topics covered in other first year law modules and in later stages of the degree (e.g. the reading of criminal cases in order to identify the philosophico-political matters in them). The module starts with a reflection on two central questions that shape our thinking about law: 1) “what is law?” and 2) “how we think about law?”. Further subjects examine the relationship between law and morality, law and politics and how legal philosophy shapes legal practice. In addition, it examines how socio-political and historical events (such as the Nuremberg Trials) and legal practice, more generally, shaped, significantly, modern legal philosophy (theory).

To that extent, students will be in a position to observe that theory of the law and its practice are closely interconnected, being part of a dynamic relationship. with the one shaping and informing the other and vice versa.

Thus, Legal Philosophy module encourages students to think critically about the institution of law and its operation in our everyday lives. It encourages them to question law’s commands and ask; why it is as it is and in whose interests it operates.

RBA305_Course Outline.pdfRBA305_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

The objective of the course is to introduce students to civil law (with a focus on the Continental tradition). Students learn about the key concepts of private law: property, tort, contract, natural person, company, etc. This knowledge will be indispensable for any further studies, research or practical work in the area of private law. After successfully finishing the course, students will be able to proceed with a more in-depth of different area of private law through specialized courses.


RBA306_Course Outline.pdfRBA306_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

The course is aimed at introducing the students to the basic concepts and principles of constitutional law. Constitutional law is concerned with the organisation of the state, and the relationship between the state and the individual. Constitutions, among other things, help to resolve conflicts within state’s structures and among its organs and also conflicts between the state and the individual. Human rights of the people are ordinarily primarily guaranteed by constitutions and implemented by using constitutional mechanisms. The course will address issues related to the formation and transformation of constitutional law as well as its practical application, primarily on the basis of examples from the Germany, Latvia and the United States of America. The second part of the course will be based on the general constitutional theory with the references to the regional, Central and Eastern European, constitutional normative solutions and constitutionalism. The theoretical part will be focusing on the presentation of the basic concepts related to the formation of the constitutional political and legal order, general mechanisms of functioning of the constitutional liberal democracy and the specificity of the regional (CEE) transitional constitutional reality.


RBA309_Course Outline.pdfRBA309_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

The course will be devoted to developing various legal skills necessary in everyday work of practicing lawyers. One of the principle elements of the course will be for students to learn to draft the most widely used legal documents and receive practical feedback on their work. In order to prepare legal documents students will have to extensively apply legal research skills and navigate through Latvian and international legal landscape. During the course students will also receive practical guidance in selecting legal materials and arguments, as well as fine-tuning their position to best suit the interests of clients and present their ideas clearly and persuasively.


RBA311_Course Outline.pdfRBA311_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

Administrative law deals with adjusting relationships between the individual and government. A practitioner in this field must always contemplate whether the government at federal, provincial or municipal level has used its powers according to the law. Thus, the course provides an introduction in administrative law by focusing on such topics as definition of administrative act and action, principles of administrative law, administrative procedure, judicial review and transnational administrative acts. Differences between common and continental law theories of administrative law will also be included.

Similarly, the course will focus on new challenges that the development of Europeanization brings to administrative bodies. As well, due to the excessive influence of European Union level law in national systems of administrative law, the course also introduces on how the European Union law is amending some of the basic aspects of public and administrative law of its Member States and how legal practitioners can apply the European Union law in national legal orders. The course presents vital and practical picture on the relationship between national and the European Union law.

The course consists of lectures supported by and combined with problem-solving seminars. Seminars include participation in practical exercises e.g., preparation of appeals of decisions of various state institutions (e.g. State Revenue Service and Competition Supervision Authority) and case studies. Students will have the opportunity to conclude the course by participating in a simulation based on the subjects discussed at classes.

The course will be examined on the basis of two mid-term tests and an exam.

RBA313_Course Outline.pdfRBA313_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 4 (LV) 6 (ECTS) - 64 Contact Hours

Contract law is one of the key areas of private law. In fact, modern economy primarily functions through the web of contracts ensuring transfer of goods and services. As a result, most legal systems employe a large number of typical contracts, to mention just a few: contracts on sale of movable and immovable goods, contracts on provision of services, loan agreements, lease, distribution and many others. Anyone, conducting research on private law or practicing it, needs to have a good knowledge of the core concepts and rules of contract law. The purpose of this course is to provide such core knowledge, teacing students to identify the main types of contracts, principal stages in the “life of a contract” and rights and obligations arising out of them. Students will also learn to apply contract law concepts to practical cases thus transforming the acquired knowledge into a competence.

RBA314_Course Outline.pdfRBA314_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

This course examines the evolution, actors, mechanisms and principles of public international law. In particular, it addresses the key features of the international legal system, its sources and subjects, the notion of statehood, state responsibility, the use of force and the peaceful settlement of disputes. Contemporary challenges of international law are also being discussed during the lectures.


RBA315_Course Outline.pdfRBA315_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

The course begins with the historical and philosophical foundations of international human rights law: we will discuss what are the purposes of human rights protection, why it has to be universal, and what are the different categories of rights/obligations. The course proceeds with an examination of the regional and international protection systems.

Further, the students will turn to the substantive rights and freedoms: the right to life, the prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, the right to liberty and security, the right to a fair trial, the right to private life, freedom of expression, etc.

At the end of the course, we will examine the economic and social rights, as well as the recent challenges in the area of human rights protection.

RBB110_Course Outline.pdfRBB110_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

This course will provide an understanding of the establishment and functioning of the EU internal market and the effect this has on Member States. The aim of the course is to introduce the students to the EU Internal Market. The primary aim is a comprehension of the legal framework and the primary law of the EU but in some particular topics a closer look will be taken at secondary legislation.

The course will have a special focus on the free movement of goods and services, but will also introduce issues related to persons, establishment and capital. Likewise, issues related to EU citizenship and equal treatment will be introduced.

The course consists of 9 lectures on a particular topic followed by 7 seminars on the corresponding topics. Seminars are aimed at developing the students’ problem solving skills. For seminars students are expected to analyse and discuss real and fictional cases.

 

RBB111_Course Outline.pdfRBB111_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

This course will provide an understanding of the competition law mechanisms of the Internal Market, including the limitations placed on Member States, especially in relation to state aids. The course will have a special focus on the rights and obligations of the companies in the market, including issues related to both the substance of law and the procedures in the field of competition and state aids, as well as issues related to gender equality.

The course consists of lectures and seminars. Lectures in a particular topic will be followed by one or more seminars, which aim at developing the students’ problem solving skills. For seminars students are expected to analyze and discuss real and fictional cases.

RBB400_Course Outline.pdfRBB400_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 4 (LV) 6 (ECTS) - 64 Contact Hours

This course offers a general introduction to European Union law. It aims to give a basic knowledge of the main features of the EU’s legal-institutional framework and the most important aspects of the Law of the European Union.

The course covers the principles governing the functioning of the European Union, its objectives and the core values that have inspired and prompted the European integration process. It deals with the European institutions, as well as with other EU relevant institutional bodies, focusing on their role, mutual interactions and functioning, including the different decisional procedures in place within the EU law-making process. The hierarchical and functional systematisation of the legal sources forming EU law is also addressed, focusing on how EU rules are adopted and enforced at EU and national level.

Additionally, the course provides the basic instruments to approach questions concerning the relationship and the interaction between EU law, national law and other legal systems, especially with regard to the protection of human rights in the European legal context (such as, in particular, the Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights).

Finally, the course provides an introduction to some specific areas of EU law, such as the internal market (free movement of persons, goods, services, capitals), competition law, EU external Relations, the Area of Freedom Security and Justice. The course is designed to be interactive: theoretical issues will be confronted with practical cases (i.e. case-law of the EU Court of Justice and the European Court of human rights) in order to allow the students to understand and verify how EU law is actually implemented and understood by major EU actors. Particular attention will be devoted to the recent and current challenges faced by the EU and its Member States (e.g. the refugee crisis, Brexit, the COVID-19 emergency, the conflict in Ukraine, and rule of law issues in Poland and Hungary).


RBB401_Course outline.pdfRBB401_Course outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

The course offers a targeted study of the European Union Institutional Law and decision-making process, following the course of European Union Law that the students will have already completed. At the beginning of the course, students will be expected to already have a solid knowledge of man principles governing EU competences and the role and powers of main EU institutions and bodies. 

The main objectives of the course are to allow students to understand the cornerstones of interaction between EU Member States and EU institutions on the following issues:

·        Defining EU internal and external priorities and policies

·        Laying down EU legal norms

·        Implementing EU law

To achieve these objectives, students will be offered a deeper insight into the competences of the main EU institutions and Member States, selected EU agencies, as well as their mutual interaction. The course will outline main challenged related to defining EU competences and determining appropriate action. The course will offer an overview of the main steps of the policy-making and legislative process. In addition, the course will give a general overview of the process of interpretation and application of the EU law.

RBB402_Course Outline.pdfRBB402_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

Diplomatic law is that area of international law which governs: (I) the conduct of international diplomacy, (ii) the relationships between sovereign States, as well as (iii) the relationships between States and International Organisations (IO’s). It does so by providing a procedural framework and a ‘machinery’ through which States and IO’s conduct diplomacy. These, in turn, rest on a set of multilateral treaties containing specific rights and obligations of States, most of which rely on principles ‘steeped in history’ and based on customary international law, such as the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (VCDR) and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR).

This course builds on what students have already learned in course Introduction to Diplomacy about concepts and principles such as inviolability - diplomatic immunity - State immunity - immunity from jurisdiction - exemption to give evidence - waiver of immunity - immunity from execution and persona non grata. It will solidify their existing knowledge and enhance their understanding of those concepts and principles by delving deeper into their significance and effect by  examining a number of domestic and international court cases including the ICJ case US Diplomatic and Consular Staff in Tehran.

Teaching is based on (the modern American law school version of) the “Socratic method” blurring the distinction between lecture and seminar.  The course is, from beginning to end, interactive and classes require preparation in order to participate. Students are expected to review the mandatory material in their assignments and should be able, when called upon, to recite the essence of that material in a clear and coherent fashion.


RBB404_Course Outline.pdfRBB404_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

This course is meant to provide an in-depth understanding of global challenges through the lens of public international law. After World War II, the increasing complexity of multilateral cooperation resulted in international legal frameworks that address armed conflict, environmental degradation, migration flows, and other collective challenges. However, recent years have seen a populist backlash against multilateral norms and institutions, and nationalist responses in the areas of trade, human rights, and the COVID-19 pandemic, to name but a few. This tension compels us to think about the authority and legitimacy of international law, and we use these concepts as a framework to examine the resilience of the international legal system across different areas. Subjects covered will include the rise of non-state actors, the work of international courts and tribunals, migration and refugee flows, the system of collective security and environmental protection.


RBB405_Course Outline.pdfRBB405_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

The course focuses on comprehensive approach to theory and practice of international organisations in contemporary international relations. Different theoretical approaches, which are dealing with analysis of development and activities of international organisations, will be considered and applied. Within the course, various international organisations will be examined, considering their historical origins, roles and functions, as well as international and domestic political forces that impact their working and effectiveness. International organisations are subjects of international law. In this course, the most important legal and institutional issues of the law of international organisations will be studied: legal position of international organisations, issues of membership, institutional structures, decision-making and legal instruments, dispute settlement and responsibility. Activities of international organisations in political, economic, humanitarian, social and cultural spheres will be analysed. Within the course, activities of the international non-governmental organizations will be considered by paying attention to their role, potential and limitations in international relations. International organisations to be analysed range from the League of Nations to the United Nations, from the World Bank to the World Trade Organisation, from the ASEAN to OSCE and Council of Europe and many other regional organisations.
RBB407_Course Outline.pdfRBB407_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

The course aims at providing students with an in-depth knowledge of the basic features of European Company Law.

We will analyse the harmonized areas of company law and the freedom of establishment in the jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice. We will also discuss the impact of company law standardization (SE, SCE, EEIG), choice of law, and regulatory competition between national company laws.


RBB408_Course Outline.pdfRBB408_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

The aim of the course is to provide foundational knowledge on the most important aspects of IPR such as history and rationale of intellectual property, types of intellectual property rights, justification theories, main principles, sources of laws, granting authorities, granting or validity requirements for the different IP rights, scope of protection and rights granted, exceptions and limitations. A last section will deal with new developments in the legislation as well as in the case law, such as for instance the establishment of a transnational court specialised in patent law (Unified Patent Court) which should come into operation in 2023.


RBC215_Course Outline.pdfRBC215_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

This bachelor course provides an overview and foundations of the key areas of  International commercial law. The course consists of 32 contact hours. Lectures and seminars are combined, thus providing an interactive and dynamic studying process. Students will be able to apply their already existing and just acquired knowledge by solving cases and discussing the latest trends in international commercial law.

RBC500_Course Outline.pdfRBC500_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

The aim of the course is to introduce the students to the external relations of the European Union by focusing on developing the problem-solving skills of students but also on giving them a broader and deeper understanding of EU external relations. The primary aim is comprehension of the legal framework and the primary law of the EU, as well as the interaction with international law, but in some particular topics a closer look will be taken at secondary legislation and policy making. External relations include a political aspect, which is to be identified throughout the course, thus explaining the intersection between the legal and political frameworks of the EU.


RBC502_Course outline.pdfRBC502_Course outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

The course provides an in-depth study of the Law of State Responsibility. The first part of the course is devoted to the analysis of the Articles on Responsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts developed by the International Law Commission (ILC). After conceptualising State Responsibility, topics of attribution of the wrongful conduct and circumstances precluding wrongfulness will be discussed.
The second part of the course will focus on the responsibility of International Organizations as well as the most recent developments in the field, namely, the work of the ILC on the new Draft Articles on Succession of States in respect of State responsibility.

RBC504_Course Outline.pdfRBC504_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

The course offers a broad introduction to international environmental law, a complex and rapidly evolving area of law. First of all, the course will examine the notion of the environment as well as the rise and historical development of international environmental law. In doing so, the course will dedicate a broad space to the study of sources and general principles of international environmental law, including – for example – the precautionary and prevention principles as well as the polluter pays principle. In addition, the course will examine the regimes which address specific environmental problems such as urban challenges, climate change, water resources, conservation of biodiversity, human rights, environmental migration, energy and circular economy.

RBC507_Course Outline.pdfRBC507_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV CP) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

The course introduces students to three key areas of private international law (PIL): 1) international jurisdiction; 2) conflict of laws (applicable law); 3) recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. The course opens with an overview of the notion of PIL, its sources and history. The course continues by introducing students to the theoretical underpinnings of the Brussels Ibis Regulation and teaches its application to practical cases. Final sessions provide students with the necessary theoretical foundation to identify the main characteristics of conflict-of-laws rules and develop their skills of working with the Rome I and Rome II Regulations.


RBE107_Course Outline.pdfRBE107_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

This course provides an introduction to the basic foundations, guiding principles and key elements of alternative dispute settlement methods and arbitration from fundamental theoretical to legal and practical aspects. The course will include a brief overview of arbitration’s significant features, its role in the broader context of dispute resolution by comparing and contracting it to the other forms of dispute resolution – litigation, mediation and negotiation.

The course will introduce students to mediation.

The course consists of lectures and seminars. Lectures in a particular topic will be followed by seminars which aim at developing the students’ problem solving skills.

RBE122_Course Outline.pdfRBE122_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

The aim of this course is to provide a student with a basic understanding of the international taxation. The course will outline the principles of taxation both national and cross-border levels, discover international environment of taxation and main consideration points for MNEs doing global business around the globe from the tax perspective.

Upon completion of the course students will have understanding on various tax sources, namely international treaties, official documentation from Governmental, and non-Governmental organisations (e.g. IMF, OECD), as well as European institutions, and tax literature.


RBE123_Course Outline.pdfRBE123_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

This course is designed as a comprehensive foundation course introducing and explaining the key concepts of banking and covering regulatory, supervisory and transactional areas from Latvian and European perspective. A step-by-step review of each subject-matter is followed by in-class seminars enabling students to strengthen their practical legal skills in selecting, interpreting and applying respective legal acts and norms.

RBE208_Course Outline.pdfRBE208_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

The International Humanitarian Law course will embark on the discussion of the basic tenets of the law of armed conflict – concepts, principles and rules. The course will consist of lectures and practically oriented seminars during which the students will work on case solution and presentation of the results.

At the outset, the course will examine the definition, scope, historical development, sources, and critique of international humanitarian law. Students will get an insight into the relation between international humanitarian law and adjacent fields of law, such as the law on the use of armed force, human rights law, and international criminal law. Current armed conflicts will be assessed in light of the distinction between international armed conflict (IAC) and non-international armed conflict (NIAC) and the applicable regimes they entail. The course will then examine the main principles applicable during warfare (principle of humanity, military necessity, principle of distinction, principle of proportionality, and prohibition to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering).

Further, the course will explore different groups of persons involved in situations of IAC and NIAC and regime of protection attributable to them. Through practical exercises students will learn to classify different subjects during armed conflicts and the relevant protection regimes. The course will finally examine different ways to enforce international humanitarian law, focusing on relevant actors such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and different regimes of responsibility of states, non-state actors, and individuals. Throughout the course, students will focus on certain topics of particular relevance, such as the classification of current conflicts, the protection of the environment in armed conflict, the prohibition of cluster munitions, and autonomous weapon systems.

RBE209_Course Outline.pdfRBE209_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 30 Contact Hour

The purpose of this study course is to introduce students with the concept, basic principles and the contents of insurance law; with regulatory acts of insurance law in Europe both at the European Union and at the national levels on a comparative basis; with basic provisions of supervising of insurance companies and insurance intermediaries; with conclusion of insurance contracts and specifics of their fulfilment in different insurance law types; and to provide general characteristics of claims arising from insurance law.

RBE254 Course Outline.pdfRBE254 Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 30 Contact Hours

In the framework of this interdisciplinary course we will systematically explore how the law shapes and constrains artistic expression. We will examine some of the pressing contemporary legal issues, including intellectual property rights in works of art (copyright, appropriation, and resale); the relationship between artistic freedom and censorship; legal issues involving art collectors, museums, and galleries; and international law and the fate of works of art in wartime.

RBE265_Course Outline.pdfRBE265_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

Data flows do not stop at national borders. At the same time, the threat level for data protection and cyber security continues to rise. To make matters worse, large transnational corporations are making the legal regulation of technology more difficult by exploiting their market power. The lecture will provide an overview of current European regulation on cybersecurity and data protection, address Member State implementation, and compare measures internationally. In addition, the principles in data protection management will be conveyed.

RBE269_Course Outline.pdfRBE269_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

The course is aimed at introducing the students with the functioning of the Court of Justice of the European Union, mainly through its jurisprudence. Since the establishment of the Court of Justice of the European Union in 1952, its mission has been to ensure that "the law is observed" "in the interpretation and application" of the Treaties. The Court is one of the most powerful driving forces of integration in the EU since it reviews the legality of the acts of the EU institutions, and ensures that Member States comply with their obligations. On more than one occasion the interpretation it has given on the European Union law at the request of the national courts has had consequences in the daily life of each of us. Finally, the Court has some unique procedural aspects as a multilingual institution, where each of 23 official languages of the European Union can be the language of a case.

RBE300_Course Outline.pdfRBE300_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

This course primarily focuses on the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG). Additionally, the course provides an insight into selected issues related to the international sale of goods transactions (e.g. determination of the applicable law).


RBE304_Course Outline.pdfRBE304_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

This is a course developed to provide students with an opportunity to learn in depth about the EU decision-making process through a simulation of the ordinary legislative procedure in the European Commission, the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament. The topic that will be discussed will be one related to EU animal welfare law. The course will consist of two main parts, the first one will be a theoretical introduction to animal studies and animal ethics, as well as an overview of EU animal law, including EU Regulations and Directives, EP preparatory materials, and CJEU case law. The second part will be dedicated to the simulation itself, where students will first take the role of the Commission in drafting a new piece of legislation in animal welfare. Following that the students will become both a Minister in the Council and a Member of the EP, where they will discuss, amend and vote on the Commission’s legislative proposal. This will allow the students to gain an insight into the dynamics of the process and the different roles and functions of the actors taking part in it.


RBE305_Course Outline.pdfRBE305_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

This course offers students an introduction to European legal history. It illustrates how the beginnings of the civil law tradition in Europe can be traced back to the rediscovery of Roman Name Academic degree Academic position Tjaco Theo van den Hout LLM (Leiden) Visiting lecturer Name Academic degree Academic position Tjaco Theo van den Hout LLM (Leiden) Visiting lecturer law and the emergence of classical canon law around 1100 AD. It then explores how in the subsequent centuries, up to and including the eighteenth, a sophisticated legal science of a distinct European dimension developed. Since that time different European states have constructed their own legal systems but, with the exception of England and Ireland, they are all heirs to this tradition of the jus commune. The course covers Roman law in antiquity, the revival of Justinian’s law, Roman law & the nation state and Roman law & codification. It takes us from before AD 565, to a sequence of historical periods, viz. circa 500 -1000, 1000 – 1453, 1453 – 1648, 1648 – 1914, and 1914 - present. Teaching is based on the modern (American law school) version of the “Socratic method” — blurring the distinction between lectures and seminars. As a consequence, it is highly interactive with ample opportunity for classroom discussion and stimulating critical thinking


RBE306_Course outline.pdfRBE306_Course outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

Mediation as a distinct method of conflict resolution is increasingly being used to prevent and resolve various disputes, and has particular characteristics on the spectrum of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes. Students will learn the main theoretical and legal aspects of mediation, the basics of conflict psychology and communication techniques. The course teachers are practising mediators and trainers, and will apply a variety of inter-active teaching methods to provide students with the opportunity to integrate theory and practical application of the essential skills necessary for mediators. Experiential learning through role plays will be carried out under teacher’s supervision, guidance and feedback. Great importance throughout the course will be given to structured reflection by the students individually and in small groups.


RBE309_Course Outline.pdfRBE309_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 30 Contact Hours

The course offers an in-depth insight into the history of ideas and specifically to the issues pertaining to moral reasoning. The discourse of social justice is a fundamental dimension of human rights in a democratic society. The course discusses most prominent thinkers on justice, principal theories and doctrines, controversies and visions for future development of human society. The debates will involve such contentious moral issues as individual freedom, rule of the majority, duty and responsibility, bioethics, distribution of justice.


RBE311_Course outline.pdfRBE311_Course outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

Regional and sub-regional human rights protection systems have been established to complement the United Nations human rights architecture. But regional systems vary considerably in their objectives, powers, structures, challenges, effectiveness, and even their recognized human rights norms. This course will analyze the mandates, decision-making and mechanisms of international human rights institutions at regional and international level, mainly focusing on procedural aspects of their work.

 The course will provide insight into the regional systems of the Council of Europe, the Organization of American States, and the African Union. Brief consideration is also given to newer and weaker systems, such as the League of Arab States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Further, the course will concentrate on the procedures, mechanisms and documents of the UN human rights bodies, both Treaty-based and Charter-based bodies.


RBE313_Course Outline.pdfRBE313_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

Līdzās ģimenes, mantojuma un saistību tiesībām, lietu tiesības ir viena no Latvijas privāttiesību pamatnozarēm. Lietu tiesības aptver valdījuma un īpašuma regulējumu, kā arī virkni tiesību uz svešu lietu (servitūti, reālnastas, ķīla, apbūves un izpirkuma tiesības). Kurss ir domāts studentiem, kas jau ir apguvuši civiltiesību  pamatus. Balstoties uz iegūtajām zināšanās, studentiem tiks dota iespēja padziļināt savas zināšanas Latvijas lietu tiesībās, pamatā vēršot uzmanību uz lietu tiesību problēmjautājumiem, neskaidrībām un pretrunām tiesību praksē un doktrīna. Studenti iemācīsies analizēt Latvijas lietu tiesību avotus, apgūs prasmi kritiski vērtēt Latvijas mūsdienu un “pirmskara” tiesu prakses un doktrīnas atziņas.


RBE320_Course Outline.pdfRBE320_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

We live in times when argumentation in writing and speaking becomes critically important. Increase of the role of the social media makes it essential to learn how to make an argument and analyse the arguments of others. Skills to develop and convey arguments are essential in many settings. This course is an introduction to the theory and practice of argumentation and rhetoric, the approaches of persuasive writing and speech. The aim of the course is to introduce students with the core theories, concepts and approaches of argumentation. The study course is divided into two parts: theoretical approaches and concepts and argumentation trainings. The course will focus on theory and practice of the argumentation; students will be engaged in argumentation trainings, group discussions and creative tasks. Topics include argumentation development, argumentation methods, persuasive writing, argumentation in public speaking. The course is aimed at developing analytical, critical thinking and communication skills for developing argumentation and persuasion skills. During the course, students will be trained when and how to apply a variety of argumentation methods and rhetorical devices in writing and speaking. During the course, students will learn skills to analyse and explore rhetorical structure and style of the argumentation. This course will help students to analyse and apply argumentation, rhetoric and persuasive communication to persuade and recognize when others are trying to persuade students.


RBE321_Course Outline.pdfRBE321_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

Līdzās ģimenes, mantojuma un lietu tiesībām, saistību tiesības ir viena no Latvijas privāttiesību pamatnozarēm. Saistību tiesības aptver saistību tiesību vispārīgos jautājumu (cesija, solidaritātē saistībās, saistību tiesību pastiprināšana, saistību izbeigšana) un saistību tiesību speciālos jautājumus (konkrēti līgumu veidi, kvazi-līgumu, delikti un kvazi-delikti). Kurss ir domāts studentiem, kas jau ir apguvuši civiltiesību pamatus. Balstoties uz iegūtajām zināšanās, studentiem tiks dota iespēja padziļināt savas zināšanas Latvijas saistību tiesībās, pamatā vēršot uzmanību uz saistību tiesību institūtu problēmjautājumiem, neskaidrībām un pretrunām tiesību praksē un doktrīna. Studenti iemācīsies analizēt Latvijas saistību tiesību avotus, apgūs prasmi kritiski vērtēt Latvijas mūsdienu un “pirmskara” tiesu prakses un doktrīnas atziņas.




RBE324_Kursa apraksts.pdfRBE324_Kursa apraksts.pdf

KREDĪTPUNKTI 2 (LV) / 3 (ECTS) - 32 KONTAKTSTUNDAS

Studiju kurss “Darba tiesības” ir izvēles kurss bakalaura programmu otrā un trešā kursa studentiem. Šajā  kursā detalizēti tiek apskatīts Latvijas Republikas Darba likums. Papildus teorētiskajiem jautājumiem studenti apgūst arī darba līguma sagatavošanai un izvērtēšanai nepieciešamās zināšanas un prasmes.


RBE325_Course Outline.pdfRBE325_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

Kursa mērķis ir sniegt studentiem zināšanas par krimināltiesībām kā patstāvīgu publisko tiesību daļu, kas regulē attiecības starp personu, kura izdarījusi Krimināllikumā paredzēto nodarījumu, un valsti, tās kompetentu institūciju personā, piedraudot ar sodu un piemērojot sodu valsts vārdā, atsevišķu noziedzīgu nodarījumu jēdzienu un sastāva pazīmēm (objektu un priekšmetu, objektīvo pusi, subjektu un subjektīvo pusi), šo noziedzīgo nodarījumu kvalificējošām pazīmēm, to norobežošanu no līdzīgiem noziedzīgiem nodarījumiem.


RBE326_Course Outline.pdfRBE326_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

Studiju kurss ,,Kriminālprocess” ir izvēles kurss bakalaura programmu kursa studentiem. Šajā kursā tiek apskatīta noziedzīgu nodarījumu pirmstiesas izmeklēšanas, kriminālvajāšanas un iztiesāšanas norise krimināllietās. Studenti iegūst izpratni par svarīgāko kriminālprocesuālo institūtu būtību un  to piemērošanas praksi.


RBE329_Course Outline.pdfRBE329_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

This course offers a general introduction to European migration and asylum law. It aims to give a basic knowledge of the main features and challenges of contemporary migration governance, with a special focus on the European legal-institutional framework.  

The course covers the principles governing the management of the migratory phenomenon, highlighting its complexity and the multiplicity of interacting and often competing dynamics. It traces the foundations of the international cooperation on migration-related matters, from the first, initial experiences following the World War II, to todays’ mechanisms of multilateral collaboration put in place to manage large movements of migrants and asylum seekers.

The course explores different legal and institutional frameworks, involving different international organisations, such as the United Nations, the Council of Europe and, most notably, the European Union. Following an overview of the most relevant legal tools governing migration management and migrants’ fundamental rights at the various levels, the course focuses on the multiplicity of actors and players involved on the international scene in the process of migration and asylum governance. This includes UN bodies and agencies, such as the UNHCR and IOM, as well as ad hoc figures activated within the Council of Europe, like the Special Representative on Migration and Refugees or the Commissioner for Human Rights. A special focus will be put on the European Union and its administrative and institutional apparatus developed for dealing with migration and asylum-related challenges: most notably the Agency Frontex, created in 2004 and in charge of managing an integrated and coordinated system of border controls, and EASO (European Asylum Support Office), established in 2010 and currently under a process of reform and reinforcement both in terms of competences and capacities.

Having framed the relevant legal and institutional tools relating to migration management, the course will devote particular attention to the recent challenges posed by the migratory pressure in the European Union. The so-called 2015 refugee crisis will be analysed in depth, focusing on its causes and effects, as well as on the reactions and responses put in place by the EU Member States and by the European Institutions.

Finally, the course will discuss the relevant and recent migration-related case law of the two European courts: the EU Court of Justice and the European Court of human rights. It will highlight the role played by those jurisdictions in shaping the protection of migrants’ fundamental rights on the one hand, and in imposing obligations on States in terms of migration management on the other.

The course is designed to be interactive: theoretical issues will be confronted with practical cases (i.e. case-law) in order to allow the students to understand and verify how relevant international and EU legal principles are actually implemented and understood by the States. Particular attention will be devoted to the recent and current challenges faced by the EU and its Member States (e.g. the 2015 refugee crisis, the impact of the COVID-19 emergency on migration and mobility rights, the controversial reform of the so-called Dublin system).


RBE331_Course Outline.pdfRBE331_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

This course focuses on various issues related to legal interpretation. The students will study the key issues of legal interpretation and the classical legal interpretation methods. The students will focus on selected issues related to interpretation of national law, international law, EU law and contracts.  

Elements of a student-centred teaching approach are adopted in this course.


RBC332_Course outline.pdfRBC332_Course outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

Data is increasingly becoming an indispensable part of every facet of society. This course aims to introduce students with the nascent regulatory area of data governance. It takes a comparative approach to exploring the data governance regimes of the European Union, United States, and China. A sociolegal framing of core normative orientations of the subject jurisdictions provides a background to base regulatory stances. These are followed by thematic explorations of data governance areas, including data protection, cybersecurity, cloud systems, and artificial intelligence. The course subsequently unearths rising data governance motifs like digital sovereignty and data mobility, providing students with a critical perspective on future-facing developments in national and international data governance.

RBE334_Course outline.pdfRBE334_Course outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

In their practical day-to-day activities, lawyers and citizens take and must take, much for granted, both about society in which they work and live and its legal order. Lawyers practice within established legal systems, with more or less settled institutions, techniques, traditions and rules. Citizens live, and the laws operate, in societies in which specific social arrangements, structures, roles, expectations and conceptions of what is possible and what is right, are widely held and shape our views about law and society.  Customarily, most of us think within these categories and arrangements, rather than about them. The theoretical investigation looks beneath what we all too often take for granted, to see what accounts for it, what its nature is, how it works, and how it changes.  Social theory is a particular way of asking theoretical questions. It tries to explain why things are as they are by examining the social practices and institutions that shape people's lives.  To study law and social theory is to explore theoretical issues that arise when we see the law as one part of this broader social context. 

This course introduces students to the theoretical study of law by asking questions about the relationship between law and other institutions and practices that shape society.  Some of the questions that will be addressed in the course include: what social functions are played by legal systems, and the modern legal system in particular? How does law intersect with other social systems, practices, and forms of power?  How, for example, is the legal system influenced by the economy, and how does it shape the economy in turn?  What is the relationship between the legal system and political actors, such as the state, bureaucracy, classes and social movements?  How does law shape, and how is it influenced by, socially dominant ways of thinking, such as ideology, rationality, or beliefs about class, gender, and race?  And what drives change in the legal system?  Is it, for example, the practices of lawyers?  Or politicians? The evolution of ideas? Or economic imperatives? 

We will explore these questions in both historical and contemporary contexts. The social theory was born as a response to the massive social, economic, scientific and intellectual changes of the nineteenth century, and contemporary society has inherited many of the ideas and institutions that came to dominate society at that time, from the market economy to liberal individualism.  To help gain an understanding of the relationship between law and society, and the concerns of social theory, we explore the course of the central questions through the work of classic social theorists, such as Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber. Yet neither society nor the law has stood still since social theory first emerged - indeed, the pace of change in both is without precedent.  As such, the course also engages with thinkers whose work responds to the changing social and legal landscape of the 20th and 21st centuries, and who often have a critical relationship with the classics of social theory.  This may include the work of Michel Foucault, systems theory, feminist criticism, or theories of biopolitics.

Studying theories of law and society will hopefully lead us beyond our original, and usually quite unreflective views of what is important in law, what functions it plays, what it is for, whose interests it serves and how it serves them, and what causes legal change and how important law is in society. In probing these questions, we might come to confirm, modify or abandon our original assumptions; we will always, however, find these assumptions are more problematic, controversial and puzzling than they appeared at first to be.


RBE335_Course outline.pdfRBE335_Course outline.pdf


This course offers students an introduction to Roman law. It covers the Roman legal system, the law of persons, the law of property and inheritance as well as the law of obligations. The course concludes with a reflection on Roman law and the modern world, focusing in particular on the legacy of Justinian’s codification of Roman Law in the ‘Dark Ages’ and Roman Law’s second life. In this respect, it addresses the ways in which the historical evolution of modern systems has been affected by Roman law.

In the final pages of his masterpiece Roman Law in European History (see under course literature below) Peter Stein writes: When, after the collapse of communism, the countries of Eastern Europe were concerned to re-establish their credentials as participants in the tradition of Western legal culture, they revived the study of Roman law and gave it more prominence in the curricula of law faculties.” This course is an attempt to fill that particular lacuna in RGSL’s Bachelor’s Programme.

RBA336_Course Outline.pdfRBA336_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

One of the most significant developments both in international law and international relations throughout the last three decades has been the (re-)emergence of an international legal order based on a robust interpretation of the concept of international criminal justice. By establishing both international and hybrid criminal courts addressing international core crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, the international community has demonstrated an ever more growing commitment to end impunity for the most heinous crimes affecting mankind as a whole and to hold those bearing individual criminal responsibility personally liable. 

This course offers a comprehensive introduction to international criminal law (ICL) and familiarizes students with a fundamental understanding of this increasingly important realm of public international law. In a first take, the course provides an overview both of international criminal law’s theoretical foundations as well its historical development before turning towards its fundamental principles, including individual criminal responsibility. Subsequently, the course will turn towards (some of) the key actors in past and present international criminal justice, most importantly the ad-hoc tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda as well as the International Criminal Court (ICC) before turning towards both the procedural and substantive dimensions of international criminal law, including an in-depth assessment of the four core international crimes genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. Subsequently, contemporary ICL-related developments – such as most importantly in the context of the War in Ukraine – will be addressed and complemented by an invited guest lecture.

The course relies on a dual approach where theory is followed by practice: thus, several lectures are followed by a seminar where the material of the preceding session is discussed and applied in concreto.


RBE328_Course Outline.pdfRBE328_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours


Administrative law deals with adjusting relationships between the individual and the government. A practitioner in this field must always contemplate whether the government at state or municipal level has used its executive powers according to the law. Thus, the course will focus on the main concepts and legal instruments of Administrative Law and Procedure in Latvia. The course will provide a broad insight into Latvian administrative law - from the basic principles of the structure of state administration to the execution of rulings in specific cases. Therefore, the course is sequentially structured and after its completion can serve as a manual for resolving disputes in various sub-branches of administrative law. The course includes classes that combine elements of lectures and seminars. Thus, students will be able to participate in practical lessons, such as debates, preparation of appeals, case studies and case-solving.


RBE339_Course Outline.pdfRBE339_Course Outline.pdf

This course takes a macro look at international adjudicative bodies. It covers the issues that these bodies deal with and the players involved. It addresses the multiplication of international courts and tribunals after the end of the Cold War and the related issue of “proliferation”. Against the background of the main functions of international adjudication, the course then examines the question of whether there has been a shift over time in the predominance of one or more of these functions.

Much of the material used in this course stems from new scholarship generated by the work of the Project on International Courts and Tribunals (PICT). Teaching is based on (the modern American law school version of) the “Socratic method”, blurring the distinction between lecture and seminar. The course is, from beginning to end, interactive and classes require preparation.


RBE343 Course Outline.pdfRBE343 Course Outline.pdf

This is a course for those interested in the philosophy of international human rights law and willing to explore some of its key contentious issues through debate and discussion. 

The main aim of the course is to equip the students with a fresh perspective on the many layers that constitute the thought of IHRL, and to encourage them to question their beliefs and pre-conceptions on the various contentious points discussed. Additionally, the course aims to introduce the students to the intricacies of IHRL both in theory and practice, to provide them with a solid base understanding of the field that will allow them to take further courses in human rights in the future, and to consolidate the knowledge they might already have from previous BA courses.

All sessions involve discussion-based learning, continuous reflection on the learning process through a reflective journal, and small exercises in groups to compare students’ views with one another. 


RBE344_Course Outline.pdfRBE344_Course Outline.pdf

CREDITS 2 (LV) 3 (ECTS) - 32 Contact Hours

Over the past decades, debates about the role of corporations in human rights abuses and the role of international law for ensuring corporate accountability have gained prominent relevance at the international, regional and national level.

The aim of this course is to engage students with the topic of business and human rights. Taking as a starting point the ever-increasing role of corporations at the international level, the course will then delve into the historical evolution of the business and human rights field and offer an overview of the current mechanisms that exist at the national, regional, and international level, as well as the obstacles that they may present, for ensuring corporate accountability. The course will also examine key issues in the field, including climate change, technology and the role of businesses in armed conflict.

The course will provide students with the opportunity to critically engage with, assess and evaluate the role of international law in ensuring corporate respect for human rights, the potential and shortcomings of the current system, but also address, at a more fundamental level, questions of normativity and interactions between different legal orders.

RBE347_Course Outline.pdfRBE347_Course Outline.pdf

This course is aimed at introducing the students to key concepts and principles of privacy and data protection law. On one hand, students will profoundly study the General Data Protection Regulation and Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights. And, on the other hand, students will learn how practically data protection is implemented in practice, including setting up a corporate data protection management system that today is required at any organisation. 

This course is intended to be rather practical than theoretical. Students will be introduced to many judgments of European courts as well as will have an opportunity to prepare their portfolio of documents that help to implement corporate data protection management systems as well as to preserve the right to privacy.