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Free University of Bozen-Bolzano

Introduction to legal systems

Semester 1-2 · 27328 · Bachelor in Economics and Management · 12CP · IT


M1- The course provides an introduction to the main themes of public law and will cover the following topics:
The evolution of forms of state and forms of government, with particular reference to the Italian system; the structure and functioning of state organisation; the sources of law;

the protection of fundamental rights; the system of territorial autonomies, including the special statute of South Tyrol; the legal order of the European Union.

M2- The course aims at providing an introduction to the fundamental principles of the Italian legal system of private law within the framework of the European legal order.

-Knowledge of the private law system of interest for economic studies.
-Knowledge of the legal sources relating to the private law system in the European, national and international context.
-Knowledge of legal principles relating to persons, personal rights, property, obligations, contracts and torts.
-Knowledge of the legal regulations governing relations between private parties.

Lecturers: Laura Valle, Monica Rosini, Oskar Peterlini, Paolo Cattaruzza Dorigo

Teaching Hours: 36+36
Lab Hours: M1 18 + M2 12
Mandatory Attendance: Attendance is not compulsory, but strongly recommended

Course Topics
M1 - Public Law The law, subjects, legal acts, sources of law, structure and functioning of the state organisation, institutions making economic policy decisions, protection of fundamental rights. The regions, forms of government of the regions and local autonomies, including Trentino - South Tyrol. The concepts are analysed within the framework of the European Union order. M2 - Private Law The determination of the law applicable to relationships characterised by transnationality. The content of the civil code. Subjective legal situations. Natural and legal persons. Personality rights. Associations. Foundations. Assets. Real rights and the legal modes of their acquisition. Fundamentals of the law of obligations and contracts. Non-contractual liability. For a more detailed indication of the course content, see the detailed Syllabus compiled during the course of lectures and published on Teams.

Teaching format
M1 - Public law Lectures. Power point presentations will be made available to students in Reserve Collection and Teams. The most complex topics are analysed and explained by means of practical examples by the tutor. M2 - Private Law Lectures. Power point presentations on Teams will be made available to students. The presentations are not study material for the exam and are not sufficient reference to prepare for the exam, they are a support material to better follow the lectures. In the tutorial hours, some of the course topics will be treated from a more operational perspective. It will be possible to request analysis through case studies of topics covered more generally in the lectures.

Educational objectives
ILOs (Intended Learning Outcomes) ILO1 Knowledge and understanding ILO1.1 knowledge of the public and private legal system also with reference to economic and business studies ILO1.2 knowledge and ability to interpret the sources of law, with regard to the various sectors of the legal system: public, private, commercial and tax, in the European, national, regional and international contexts ILO1.3 knowledge of the Italian Constitution with reference to the form of government, including regions and other territorial entities, and the rights of citizens and businesses ILO1.4 understanding of the legal framework regulating relations between private individuals and between private individuals and public bodies ILO1.5 knowledge of the law of persons, property, transfer of rights to property and the law of obligations, contract and liability ILO 2 Ability to apply knowledge and understanding ILO2.1 to know how to find and use national, European and international legal sources ILO2.2 to know how to provide support to companies and corporate bodies through knowledge of the relevant legal field ILO2.3 to know how to analyse cases arising from professional experience and apply the appropriate rules of the legal field concerned ILO 3 A Making judgements ILO3.1 to find the necessary information in databases, legal sources and literature ILO 4 Learning ability ILO4.1 finding information from databases, scientific literature, laws and regulations as required in professional life

Assessment
M1 - Public Law (i) A final written examination on the entire programme or (ii) For attending students: 1. written mid-term on lessons 1-6 which will weigh 33% on the final grade; 2. written final examination on the remaining lessons 7-18 which will weigh 67%; 3. active participation in the tutorials. M2 - Private Law (i) Final written examination: The examination grade is based on the final written examination consisting of 4 open questions with 3-4 sub-questions. (ii) At the request of students, a midterm exam on a first part of the course programme will be organised. The result of the midterm exam will be worth 20% of the total exam grade. Students who pass the midterm exam will take a final exam consisting of 3 questions with 3-4 sub-questions on the remaining part of the syllabus. The final exam grade will be worth 80% of the total.

Evaluation criteria
In order to pass the examination, both modules (M1 and M2) must be passed. A final mark will be awarded based on the mathematical average of the final marks achieved for the two individual modules (M1 and M2). It is also possible to pass the two modules in two different examination sessions as long as they are in the same academic year. Afterwards (in the following academic year), the passing of a single module will no longer have any value. M1 - Public Law (i) Final written examination consisting of 15 multiple-choice questions and 3 open-ended questions (to be chosen out of 4). (ii) Alternatively for attending students: 1. written mid-term which will weigh 33% of the final grade (30 multiple choice/closed answer questions) on the first 6 lectures of the syllabus. 2. final written exam which will weigh 67% on the final grade (6 multiple choice questions and 2 open-ended questions to be chosen out of 3) on the remaining lessons 7-18 of the programme. 3. active participation in the exercises, with presentation of a judgment or short report (up to 2 points). For the assessment of the open-ended questions, the following will be relevant: clarity of the answer; language property (appropriateness from a legal, grammatical and logical point of view); ability to summarise, evaluate and make connections between the topics. (ILO 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, ILO 2.1, 2.3, ILO 3.1, ILO 4.1). M2 - Private Law (i) Final written examination: The examination grade is based on the final written examination consisting of 4 open questions with 3-4 sub-questions. (ii) At the request of students, a midterm exam on a first part of the course programme will be organised. The result of the midterm exam will be worth 20% of the total exam grade. Students who pass the midterm exam will take a final exam consisting of 3 questions with 3-4 sub-questions on the remaining part of the syllabus. The final exam grade will be worth 80% of the total grade. The assessment of the answers to the open questions will be based on: the clarity of the answer; the ownership of language (both from a technical legal point of view and from a grammatical and logical point of view); the ability to summarise, judge and evaluate and the ability to make connections between the topics studied. (ILO 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, ILO 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, ILO 3.1, ILO 4.1).

Required readings

M1 - Diritto pubblico

Baroncelli, Moschella, Morelli, Tiberi, M.P. Vipiana, P. Vipiana - Lineamenti di Diritto pubblico, Giappichelli, 2021 (the pages indicated in the Reserve Collection and Teams);

Alternatively:

G. Falcon, Lineamenti di diritto pubblico, Cedam, Padua, latest edition (the pages indicated in the Reserve Collection and Teams);

Some pages taken from the following volumes (the pages will be indicated in the Reserve Collection and Teams):

S. Baroncelli, Constitutional Profiles of Trentino Alto Adige/Südtirol. Lezioni e materiali, Giappichelli, 2015

P. Caretti, U. De Siervo, Constitutional and Public Law, Giappichelli, 2020 

M2 - Institutions of Private Law

1.    Galgano, Private Law, Padua, Cedam, latest edition (excluding the parts on enterprise and society). As an alternative to Galgano's textbook: Roppo, Diritto privato, Linee essenziali, Torino, Giappichelli, ult. ed. During the course the lecturer will provide an indication of the parts of the textbook under study.

For the chapters to be studied see the detailed Syllabus published on Teams.

2.    Civil Code, updated to 2025, accompanied by the main special laws (e.g. ed. Zanichelli, edited by De Nova, no need for the edition with CD and/or tax appendix; alternatively ed. Hoepli, 2025).



Supplementary readings

M1 - It is advisable to consult a text of the Italian Constitution, also during lessons.




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Sustainable Development Goals
This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the following Sustainable Development Goals.

3 5 10 11 12 13 15 16

Modules

Semester 1 · 27328A · Bachelor in Economics and Management · 6CP · IT

Module A — M-1 Public Law

M1- The course provides an introduction to the main topics of public law and will cover the following subjects:
The evolution of forms of State and forms of government, with particular reference to the Italian system; the structure and functioning of the State organization; sources of law;

The protection of fundamental rights; the system of territorial autonomies, including the special status of South Tyrol; the legal order of the European Union.

Lecturers: Monica Rosini, Oskar Peterlini

Teaching Hours: 36
Lab Hours: 18

Course Topics
The legal acts, the sources of law in general and in the economic sphere, the structure and the functioning of the Italian State, the institutions that regulate the economic policy decisions, the protection of fundamental rights. The powers and organization of the Italian Regions, including South Tirol /Alto Adige. These concepts are analyzed in the framework of the European Union legal framework.

Teaching format
Frontal lectures and exercises. Power point presentations will be used during the lectures. They are a support for the lectures and not learning materials for the individual study.

Required readings

Baroncelli, Moschella, Morelli, Tiberi, M.P. Vipiana, P. Vipiana - Lineamenti di Diritto pubblico, Giappichelli, 2021 (the pages specified in the Syllabus – see Reserve Collection and Teams)

 OR

G. Falcon, Lineamenti di diritto pubblico, Cedam, Padova, last ed. (the pages specified in the Syllabus – see Reserve Collection and Teams)

Some pages taken from the following books (see Reserve collection and Teams):

S. Baroncelli, Profili costituzionali del Trentino Alto Adige/Südtirol. Lezioni e materiali, Giappichelli, 2015;

P. Caretti, U. De Siervo, Diritto costituzionale e pubblico, Giappichelli, Turin, 2020 



Supplementary readings

The consultation of the text of the Italian Constitution is a necessary complement to the study of Public Law. Its consultation in class is warmly recommended.



Semester 2 · 27328B · Bachelor in Economics and Management · 6CP · IT

Module B — M-2 Private Law

M2- The course aims at giving an introduction on the basic principles of the Italian legal system of private law in the framework of the European legal order.

-Knowledge of the private law system of interest for economic studies.
-Understanding of the legal sources relating to the private law system in the European, national and international context.
-Knowledge of the legal principles relating to persons, personal rights, property, obligations, contracts and tort.
-Understanding of the legal regulation governing the relationships between private entities.

Lecturers: Laura Valle

Teaching Hours: 36
Lab Hours: 12

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