Teaching

You can find more information about the course on the Moodle learning platform. Please enrol there using the university-wide enrolment key.

For the first course, you will need a text edition of the Basic Law. Further literature references and materials can be found on Moodle.

Course date

State organisation law:

17.10.2024-05.12.2024 Thu 12:00-14:00 / 18.10.2024-06.12.2024 Fri 08:00-10:00

Fundamental Rights:

12.12.2024-06.02.2025 Thu 12:00-14:00 / 13.12.2024-07.02.2025 Fri 08:00-10:00

The lectures are four hours long, therefore, both dates on Thursday and Friday must be attended!

Final module exam (with VL Fundamental Rights) on 14.02.2025 08:00-10:00

Repeat attempt on 14.03.2025 08:00-10:00

Contents

The lecture deals with the fundamental aspects of the state organisation of the Federal Republic of Germany, namely the constitutional organs of the federal government, the principles of electoral law, the principles of state structure and state objectives of the Basic Law, the legislative procedure of the federal government including the organs involved in it as well as the relationship between the powers constituted by the Basic Law including the judicial power (with emphasis on the Federal Constitutional Court). The lecture is guided by leading decisions from the case law of the Federal Constitutional Court.

The Global Justice Clinic integrates three core activities: teaching, research, and legal activism. In the Clinic course, students engage in the analysis and resolution of actual cases pertaining to human rights. The seminar is structured around a series of interrelated thematic teaching units. In these units, the theoretical and practical issues related to the international protection of human rights and the relations between the Global South and North are discussed in depth. 

The objective is to prepare students for the final deliverable, which is being developed in collaboration with the Slave Labor and Human Trafficking Clinic of the Faculty of Law of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (Clínica de Trabalho Escravo e Tráfico de Pessoas da Faculdade de Direito da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais), Brazil. The collaboration is centered on the issue of slave labor on Brazilian coffee plantations. The coffee produced in this region is exported to Germany and other countries within the European Union. In this regard, the enactment of the German Supply Chain Act (LkSG) and the adoption of the EU Directive on Corporate Sustainability Impact Assessments have brought the potential exploitation of laborers in the production of coffee imported from Brazil to the fore for Germany and the entire European Union.

In this context, students will undertake an interdisciplinary analysis of the existence of slave labor in the production chains of coffee consumed in Germany and the consequences of the German Supply Chain Act.

The course will be conducted in German, with guest lectures delivered in English. Moreover, a selection of the course bibliography will be made available in English.

The course can be accessed via Moodle under the title "[WS 2024] Global Justice Clinic (BA): Internationaler Menschenrechtsschutz und Modern Slavery " is open for enrollment using the provided enrollment key.

* The course is part of the teaching project, "Clinical Education in Global Justice," which is funded by the Foundation for Innovation in Higher Education. Further information can be found on the chair's website under "Projects" and "Global Justice Clinic."

Today, human rights practitioners are faced with a contradictory situation. On the one hand, the expansion of human rights claims into more and more areas of social life from supply chain due diligence to the climate crisis continues. On the other hand, the human rights community suffers from a growing sense of crisis. The existing framework of human rights seems incapable to address the magnitude of today’s global challenges and shrinking spaces for transnational civil society cooperation and various contestations challenge the very concept of human rights and the material conditions for human rights activism. 

In this course, students work on real case studies from human rights practice supervised by practitioners. Over the course of the semester, they are introduced to the principles of human rights law and advocacy. As they cooperate with partners, students are furthermore encouraged to observe and reflect on human rights practice from ethnographic, critical theoretical, and organizational perspectives, thereby building a comprehensive practical and structural understanding of human rights today. 

The course is interdisciplinary and addressed to students with or without prior legal knowledge. The course will be held in English language. Grading will be based on coursework done in project groups in cooperation with partner organisations from practice. 

By arrangement

1. Your name, matriculation number, e-mail address
2. What is the subject of your question or request? (1-2 keywords)
3. In which degree programme and according to which examination regulations are you studying (or would you like to study)?
4. In which semester are you studying (or when do you want to start your studies in Erfurt)?
5. Which module(s) does your question relate to and, if applicable, which specific course(s)? Please state the module code and name and, if applicable, the title of the course and the semester in which the course is offered.
6. Which provision(s) of the relevant examination regulations does your question concern? Please state the paragraph and, if applicable, the relevant section.
7. Please formulate your question:
8. For questions concerning the recognition of credits earned or to be earned at other universities in Germany or during a semester abroad, please provide the following information: Module code, name and number of credit points of the module of the relevant examination regulations in Erfurt for which the achievement is to be recognised at the other university; name of the other university, degree programme taken there, title of the course there that is to be recognised, workload in ECTS points, brief description of the course content (please copy in), form of the final examination, link to the module description

In the "Global Justice Clinic", students work together with partners from practice on real cases from human rights and climate protection and other areas of international law. The course begins with weekly introductory events in the first half of the semester and continues with one Block event in the second half of the semester with presence of practice partners. The clinic is offered as an alternative to the practitioner seminar international law. The number of participants is limited; a selection process may be carried out. The course is part of the project “Clinical Education in Global Justice” funded by the Foundation for Innovation in Higher Education; more information on the project here.

The human rights responsibilities of businesses are gaining increasing importance in German and international law. In this course, students work on real case studies from business and human rights practice. A particular focus will be on human rights-based governance of transnational value chains, as exemplified by the German Supply Chain Law of 2021 and similar regulations in comparative and European law. Invited guests from human rights practice and business will give insights into their practical work and supervise the group work on the case studies. The course will be held in English language. Grading will be based on coursework done in project groups in cooperation with partner organisations from practice. The course is also open for MPP students. The course is part of the project “Clinical Education in Global Justice” funded by the Foundation for Innovation in Higher Education; more information on the project here.

You can find more information about the course on the Moodle learning platform. Please enrol there using the university-wide enrolment key.

For the first course you will need a text edition of the Basic Law. Further literature and materials can be found on Moodle.

Course date

19.10.2023 - 30.11.2023 Thursday 12:00-14:00h, HS1 KIZ, individual dates online
20.10.2023 - 01.12.2023 Friday 08:00-10:00h, HS 1 KIZ, individual dates online

Module final exam on 09.02.2024, 08:00-10:00h

Retest on 08.03.2024 08:00-10:00h

Content

The lecture deals with the fundamental aspects of the organisation of the state of the Federal Republic of Germany, namely the constitutional organs of the Federation, the principles of electoral law, the principles of state structure and state objectives of the Basic Law, the legislative procedure of the Federation including the organs involved in it as well as the relationship between the powers constituted by the Basic Law including the judicial power (with emphasis on the Federal Constitutional Court). The lecture is guided by leading decisions from the case law of the Federal Constitutional Court.

You can find more information about the course on the Moodle learning platform. Please enrol there using the university-wide enrolment key.

For the first course you will need a text edition of the Basic Law. Further literature and materials can be found on Moodle.

Course date

07.12.2023 - 08.02.2024 Thursday 12:00-14:00h, HS1 KIZ, individual dates online
08.12.2023 - 09.02.2024 Friday 08:00-10:00h, HS 1 KIZ, individual dates online

Module final exam on 09.02.2024, 08:00-10:00h

Repeat attempt on 08.03.2024 08:00-10:00h

Content

The aim of the course is to impart basic knowledge about some selected fundamental rights that are characteristic for the free democratic basic order as well as the economic constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany (Art. 5, 8, 9, 12, 14 as well as Art. 1, 2 and 3 GG). The most important elements of the general doctrine of fundamental rights (bearers of fundamental rights; scope of protection, doctrine of limits, proportionality and guarantee of essence) are integrated into this presentation. The entire presentation is guided by the leading cases of the Federal Constitutional Court.

Information follows

You can find more information on dates, procedures and literature in the corresponding Moodle course. Please register there yourself with the university-wide registration key for the summer semester.

Course dates

Wednesdays 10-12 (only on certain dates) and block seminar.

Content

In the course, students learn about postcolonial approaches in political science and law and apply them in case studies with local or contemporary relevance. The course combines joint text reading and discussion with project work on the case studies.

You can find more information on the procedure and literature in the corresponding Moodle course. Please enrol there yourself using the university-wide enrolment key for the summer semester.

Course date

Wednesdays 10-12h, LG 1/326

Content

The human rights responsibility of business enterprises is gaining importance in German and international law. In this course, students work on real case studies from practice in the field of business and human rights. A special focus is on human rights governance of global supply chains as required by the German Supply Chain Act of 2021 and comparable foreign and European regulations. Guest lecturers from human rights practice and business provide insights into their practical work and supervise group work on the case studies.

Information on the previous cycle of the clinic event can be found here.

You can find more information about the course on the Moodle learning platform. Please enrol there using the university-wide enrolment key.

For the first course you will need a text edition of the Basic Law. Further literature and materials can be found on Moodle.

Course dates

13.10.-24.11.2022, Thursday 12:00-14:00h, HS1 KIZ, individual dates online
14.10.-25.11.2022, Friday 08:00-10:00h, HS 1 KIZ, individual dates online

Module final exam on 3.2.2023, 8.00-10.00h

Retest on 2.3.2023, 12.00-14.00h

Content

The lecture deals with the fundamental aspects of the organisation of the state of the Federal Republic of Germany, namely the constitutional organs of the Federation, the principles of electoral law, the principles of state structure and state objectives of the Basic Law, the legislative procedure of the Federation including the organs involved in it as well as the relationship between the powers constituted by the Basic Law including the judicial power (with emphasis on the Federal Constitutional Court). The lecture is guided by leading decisions from the case law of the Federal Constitutional Court.

You can find more information about the course on the Moodle learning platform. Please enrol there using the university-wide enrolment key.

For the first course you will need a text edition of the Basic Law. Further literature and materials can be found on Moodle.

Course date

01.12.2022-02.02.2023, Thursday 12:00-14:00h, HS1 KIZ, individual dates online
02.12.2022-03.02.2023, Friday 08:00-10:00h, HS 1 KIZ, individual dates online

Module final exam on 3.2.2023, 8.00-10.00h

Retest on 2.3.2023, 12.00-14.00h

Content

The aim of the course is to convey basic knowledge of some selected fundamental rights which are characteristic for the free democratic basic order as well as the economic constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany (Art. 5, 8, 9, 12, 14 as well as Art. 1, 2 and 3 GG). The most important elements of the general doctrine of fundamental rights (bearers of fundamental rights; scope of protection, doctrine of limits, proportionality and guarantee of essence) are integrated into this presentation. The entire presentation is guided by the leading cases of the Federal Constitutional Court.

You can find more information on dates, procedures and literature in the corresponding Moodle course. Please enrol there yourself with the university-wide enrolment key for the summer semester.

Content description: The COVID-19 pandemic has made it possible to experience how vulnerable the globalised world is. It has disrupted supply chains, sent entire societies into lockdown, deepened global inequalities and challenged solidarities. Since viruses and infectious diseases do not stop at borders, international law, and in particular the World Health Organisation (WHO), is needed to coordinate global cooperation in combating the pandemic and to manage response processes, and the crisis has accordingly exposed the weaknesses of international law. The seminar will focus on the Covid 19 pandemic from the perspective of international law and international administrative law and the lessons to be learned from the crisis. It will be held as a block seminar together with Mr. Niklas Kramer, speaker at the Federal Ministry of Health, Department of Health Security and International Crisis Management. Current discussions and negotiations on strengthening the International Health Regulations and the creation of a new international treaty on pandemic control will thus flow directly into the seminar. Prerequisite for participation is the successful completion of the law modules of the O-phase. Previous knowledge of international law or at least simultaneous attendance of the lecture in international law is also desirable. A good knowledge of English is required for reading the texts.

Important note

Information on the end-of-semester exam can be found on the Moodle learning platform.

Course date

14.10.2021-25.11.2021, Thursday 12:00-14:00
15.10.2021-26.11.2021, Friday 08:00-10:00

Content

The lecture deals with the fundamental aspects of the organisation of the state of the Federal Republic of Germany, namely the constitutional organs of the Federation, the principles of electoral law, the principles of state structure and state objectives of the Basic Law, the legislative procedure of the Federation including the organs involved in it as well as the relationship between the powers constituted by the Basic Law including the judicial power (with emphasis on the Federal Constitutional Court). The lecture is guided by leading decisions from the case law of the Federal Constitutional Court.

Important note

Information on the end-of-semester exam can be found on the Moodle learning platform.

Information on the online lecture Basic Rights can now be found on Moodle.

Course date

02.12.2021-03.02.2022, Thursday 12:00-14:00
03.12.2021-04.02.2022, Friday 08:00-10:00

Exam dates

1st written exam: 11.02.2022, 08:00-10:00
2nd written exam: 11.03.2022, 08:00-10:00

Examination

3 LP (module examination)

Content

The aim of the course is to convey basic knowledge of some selected fundamental rights that are characteristic of the free democratic basic order as well as the economic constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany (Articles 5, 8, 9, 12, 14 as well as Articles 1, 2 and 3 of the Basic Law). The most important elements of the general doctrine of fundamental rights (bearers of fundamental rights; scope of protection, doctrine of limits, proportionality and guarantee of essence) are integrated into this presentation. The entire presentation is guided by the leading cases of the Federal Constitutional Court.