Dr Umberto-Igor Stramignoni

This course is available on the BA in Anthropology and Law and LLB in Laws. This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit and to General Course students.

This course seeks to explore some of the relations and processes that gave origins to the law of Western Europe.

The course opens with the emergence of a certain kind of “law” in and around Rome circa 8th century BCE. It then turns to law’s subsequent developments as they made the Roman world possible, but also as they related to each other over time. As the ancient world wanes, and is replaced by the extraordinary and expansive world of Christianity, Roman law takes on new and different configurations. Things will shift again during the Italian Renaissance, Northern Humanism, and European Enlightenment, and with the French Revolution of 1789, leading up to the first major codification of law to take place in modern Europe.

This course will be taught by a weekly lecture and class in Autumn Term and Winter Term. This course includes a reading week in Weeks 6 of Autumn Term and Winter Term.

At least one formative (unassessed) essay per term.

There is no single textbook for this course. Instead, students will be required to familiarize themselves with the content of a mixture of visual aids (designed specifically for this course by Dr Stramignoni) and of written texts, including a selection of chapters from a range of different books and shorter articles from a variety of scientific journals suggesting different philosophical, historical, anthropological, cultural, and other approaches to the past of the law in Europe. Those thinking to take this course are encouraged to explore the course Moodle page for more information or contact the course convenor directly.

Exam (100%, duration: 3 hours and 30 minutes) in the spring exam period.