Study Programmes 2016-2017
SPOL2335-1  
Judiciarisation of political and social systems
Duration :
30h Th
Number of credits :
Master in political sciences : general (120 ECTS)5
Master in political sciences : general (60 ECTS)5
Lecturer :
Geoffrey Grandjean
Language(s) of instruction :
French language
Organisation and examination :
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite :
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents :
One of the characteristics of the 21st century is the "excessive legalisation" of society. This notion relates to the extension of the power of courts of law, which are required to deal with a growing number of political and social problems. If this is the case, would "excessive legalisation" be likely to call into question the traditional foundations of our Western approach to democracy? Would this not ultimately lead to the transformation of judges into "producers of standards"?
Based on the work Les juges: décideurs politiques? the course begins by defining the phenomenon of excessive legalisation before moving onto the three major political functions of judges, i.e.:
  • Judges and the production of standards;
  • Judges and the arbitration of moral values;
  • Judges and the continuity of the political system.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit :
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
  • define the phenomenon of excessive legalisation;
  • contextualise and understand the growing place of judges in political and social systems;
  • identify and analyse the political functions of judges based on the reading of numerous court decisions;
  • cast a critical look at the place of judges in political and social systems.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills :
Prerequisites include knowledge of the Belgian and European institutional systems.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
Learning activities and teaching methods are as follows:
  • Lectures;
  • One or two talks given by a guest speaker;
  • Reading and presentations of court decisions by the students (see the Casebook).
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
Face-to-face.
Recommended or required readings :
Compulsory readings :
Grandjean Geoffrey et Wildemeersch Jonathan (dir.), Les juges : décideurs politiques ? Essais sur le pouvoir politique des juges dans l'exercice de leur fonction, Bruxelles, Bruylant, 2016, 371 p.
Grandjean Geoffrey, Judiciarisation des systèmes politiques et sociaux. Recueil d'arrêts, Presses Universitaires de Liège, 2016-2017, 958 p., avalaible on the following website: http://orbi.ulg.ac.be/handle/2268/201091.
Assessment methods and criteria :
For the first exam session, there are two types of assessment within the framework of this course. Firstly, continuous assessment (20% of the final score), which consists of assessing the active participation of students during classes, through readings and presentations of court decisions (see the Casebook). The following criteria apply to the assessment: 1) presentation of the facts based on the decision, 2) argumentation and judges' decision and, 3) critical assessment of the decision.
Secondly, an oral exam (80% of the final score). During this exam, students are invited to answer a question asking them to discuss the phenomenon of the excessive legalisation of political and social systems. There is no time to prepare for the question. The following criteria apply to the assessment: 1) knowledge and understanding of the phenomenon of excessive legalisation (based on the work Les juges: décideurs politiques?), 2) analysis of this phenomenon (mainly based on the Casebook) and 3) a critical look at this phenomenon. For the oral exam, students can have access to compulsory texts as well as their personal notes.
For the second exam session, assessment consists of an oral exam only, according to the terms described above.
Work placement(s) :
Organizational remarks :
This course is only offered on even years (2016-2017,2018-2019,...).
Contacts :
Pr. Dr Geoffrey Grandjean Lecturer
Faculté de Droit, de Science politique et de Criminologie Place des orateurs, 3 4000 Liège Boîte 11 Bureau r. 16 Tel./ +32 (0)4/366.96.60 Courriel : Geoffrey.Grandjean@ulg.ac.be
Items online :
Judiciarisation of political and social systems
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