Dr. Marc Harreman's Lectures

Dear all,
next week Dr. Marc Harreman will introduce you to Kafka's world. After that, there will be a short pause (Easter Holidays...): you will have some time to think about all the lectures and the readings before starting again on Wednesday 15th April.

Program “Law & Franz Kafka”:

Lecture 1 (Wednesday, 1 April 2009, 13.45h - 15.45h) ‘Franz Kafka is Law-and-literature’ - Introduction to Franz Kafka, his life and his work.

Lecture 2 (Thursday, 2 April 2009, 10.00h - 11.45h) ‘The Trial (Der Prozess)’ - Kafka’s most famous novel.

Lecture 3 (Friday, 3 April 2009, 10.00h - 11.45h) ‘Franz Kafka in Law-and-literature’ - Franz Kafka in judicial opinions and scientific discussions (Robin Posner vs. Richard Posner).

Readings:
Martha S. Robinson, The Law of the State in Kafka’s Trial, in “ALSA F.” 6(1982), p. 127-148.
Robin West, Authority, Autonomy, and Choice: The Role of Consent in the Moral and Political Visions of Franz Kafka and Richard Posner, in “Harvard Law Review”, 99 (1985), p. 384-428.

Richard A. Posner, The Ethical Significance of Free Choice: A Reply to Professor West, in “Harvard Law Review”, 99 (1986), p. 1431-1448.

Two parables of Franz Kafka:
- The problem of our laws (‘Zur Frage der Gesetze’)
- The gate-keeper (excerpt from “The Trial”)

Curriculum Dr. M.M.L. Harreman:

Marc Harreman is an expert in the field of Dutch and European civil and procedural law and has published several articles in these fields. Mr. Harreman was born in Geleen in 1970 (The Netherlands). He completed his law degree in 1994 at the Rijksuniversiteit Leiden. During his law study, Mr. Harreman studied at the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg in Germany under the Erasmus scholarship program. Mr. Harreman taught, as a guest professor, arbitration law at the University of Letland in Riga and worked for different law firms in Austria and in The Netherlands, including Reif-Breitwieser in Vienna and Russell in Amsterdam. From 2000 to 2008 Mr. Harreman was a Lecturer of Civil Law at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam and holds a Ph.D. awarded by this University. He wrote his dissertation on: “Seizures for security in order to obtain consignment of goods", English translation of the Dutch title: "A study regarding the application of art. 730 of the Code of Civil Proceeding, also from a historical point of view”, published by Boom Juridische Uitgevers, The Hague, 2007.

Dr. Magnus Ryan's Lectures

Dear all,

Dr. Magnus Ryan, from the University of Cambridge, will be our second speaker, starting from next Wednesday (25.26.27 April).

His topic will be "Law and Literature" and in particular "Law and Shakespeare". To be ready for the lectures, he suggested to read 3 plays that you can easily find on the web:

1) Measure for Measure
2) Richard II
3) King John

As suggested readings you should study:

a) Chap. 1 and 2 of: Ernst H. Kantorowicz, The King's Two Bodies: A Study in Medieval Political Theology, Princeton, 1957
We will try to scanner the two chapters and send them to you all. If not, you will have to go to a library...

b) PP. 593-594 (only two pages not the whole text) of Part Six of An Homily Against Disobedience and Wilfull Rebellion (1571):
http://www.footstoolpublications.com/Homilies/Bk2_Rebellion21.pdf


You should read the plays considering the following questions:

1. Measure for Measure:
- Justice and Equity
- The personal qualities of the judge
- Stoicism
- What circumstances justify leniency?
2. King John
- Might and right
- Possession and right/legitimacy: What legal mechanisms are appropriate to a kingdom and what to piece of private property?
- Rebellion: What is Shakespeare telling us? Are the barons wrong or right to resist John?

3. Richard II
See Kantorowicz in general, but the most interesting approach to the play is to contrast Shakespeare's attitude to kingship here with what he says in King John.

To have an idea about Dr. Ryan's cv and interests you can have a look here: http://www.historycambridge.com/default.asp?contentID=838

Law and ITALIAN literature

Dear all,

first of all I would like to thank you for all your proposals about the topic "law and Italian literature", which are in general really interesting and smart. I would just to stress, for the last time, that we are writing a list of Italian literature with some references only to French literature. You have also to distinguish between literary works (novels, poems, plays, etc.) and philosophical, sociological, political works. To summarise:

1) Italy and France

2) Literature

The Merchant of Venice

Hi there!
As one of you suggested, considering that "The Merchant of Venice" produced a great impression in many of you, I'm creating this post to collect all the comments on "our Merchant", which definition is maybe not really appropriate as the protagonist of this play is certainly not Antonio...So, post your comments about Schylock and Portia here!

I remind you of the links that maybe you missed in the moltitude of the comments:
serious Orson Welles http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa1IZ7ewdOwOr
and passionate Al Pacino: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmafewX-HCw

For the future: write your comments referring to the post that presents the professor you are referring to. In most cases I will create a post for the most popular topics.

Merchant of Venice and Italian Law

Today professor Skeel asked to help him for his next article about literature and Ialian law. We are already doing it by compiling our list of "Italian Fiction worth reading for Lawyers". So keep suggesting more titles, always with dates of first publication and date of birth and death of the authors.
In addiction, you can comment this post with the ideas you had about law by reading the Merchant of Venice, just to check if this piece of English literature can help also Italians to better understand law.

Stop registrations

Dear all,
today is the last day to register. If someone wants to attend the course he/she has to write me an email (stefaniagialdroni@gmail.com) today. The point is that it is compulsory to attend the lessons as there is no text book to study being the exam based on the lectures, the readings and the participation to the blog. So, it makes no sense to begin the course after Prof. Skeel's introduction.

List of students: you are now 56

Barbier du Doré Anne Marguerite
Bellesini Carlo
Buonanno Maria
Cacciotti Giuseppe
Capece Minutolo Ferdinando
Caporaletti Roberta
Carafa Valentina
Carone Simone
Casini Ginevra
Ciucci Giorgia
Colorizio Alessia
Contartese Antonio
Cordani Flaminia
D'Annibale Daniela
D'Antona Valentina
Di Bartolomeo Laura
Faranca Silvia
Ferri Valeria
Festucci Alessandro
Fiengo Astrid
Filocamo Antonio Francesco
Fraia Andreina
Galanti Giuseppe
Giacomini Giulia
Giuliani Pietro
Graziano Flavia
Hernandez Emanuela
La Mantia Luca
Lanfranconi Fabiana
Librandi Lorenzo
Luciani Giulio
Luzietti Camilla
Malizia Vanessa
Mambrini Francesco
Manzo Massimo
Marangoni Andrea
Marinelli Valerio
Meglio Federica
Melia Giorgia
Neri Pasquale
Oddone Pierluigi
Petriccione Marina
Petroni Andrea
Pischedda Federica
Rosetta Antonio
Rossi Giulia
Russotto Valentina
Sangregorio Francesco
Severini Andrea
Simeoni Alessandra
Stabile Emanuela
Varano Riccardo
Veri Enrico
Vitale Valeria
Viti Michele
Westphal Caroline

2009: Law and the Humanities Calendar

MARCH

11.12.13 and 18.19.20.: Introduction and Law and Literature
Prof. David A. Skeel, University of Pennsylvania Law School (U.S.A.)

25.26.27.: Law and Literature
Dr. Magnus Ryan, University of Cambridge (U.K.)

APRIL

01.02.03.: Law and Literature
Dr. Marc Harreman, University RomaTre (Italy)

15.16.17.: Law and Literature
Dr. Stefania Gialdroni, EHESS, Paris (France)

22.23.24.: Law and Architecture
Prof. Gary Watt, University of Warwick School of Law (U.K.)

29.30.: Law and History
Prof. Emanuele Conte, University RomaTre

MAY

06.07.08.: Law and Cinema
Charles de Froment, SUM, Florence (Italy) and EHESS

13.14.15.: Law and Cinema
Prof. Esteban Conde, University of Huelva (Spain)

20.: Law and Iconographical Studies
Prof. Georges Martyn, Ghent University (Belgium)

21.22.: Law and Music
Prof. Giorgio Resta, University of Bari (Italy) and
M° Enrico Maria Polimanti

27.: Conclusion
Prof. Emanuele Conte, University RomaTre

IMPORTANT: SIGN YOUR COMMENTS!!!

Dear all,
I would like to remind you that you have to sign your comments (name and surname) as we have to identify you. It is very important, don't forget it!

Law and Italian Literature

Dear all,
We would like to create a list of Italian "Law and Literature" works on the basis of your suggestions. Remember that you can propose works about law (Law in Literature) or legal texts that can be seen, in a certain way, as literary texts (Law as Literature). You should write:
1) The author's name and date of birth (and of death, if he/she isn't alive anymore).
2) Title of the work and date of first publication.
I'm looking forward to readying your proposals!

First lectures: Prof. David A. Skeel, University of Pennsylvania Law School (USA)

11th, 12th and 13th March 2009:

Introduction to “Law and the Humanities”

and

18th, 19th and 20th March 2009:

"Law and Literature"

Dear all, don’t forget the first appointment with the Law and the Humanities course! Prof. David Skeel (University of Pennsylvania Law School) will introduce us to the Law and the Humanities movement. He warmly suggested to read the two articles below before his lectures. To receive the articles just write me: stefaniagialdroni@gmail.com.
I remind you that you have to register if you want to take part to the course. You just have to write me an e-mail with your name, surname and matriculation number.

Remeber also the timetable: Wed. 13: 45 - 15:45, Hall 3; Thur. and Fri. 10:00 - 11:45, Hall 4.

Prof. David A. Skeel C.V.:

David Skeel is the S. Samuel Arsht Professor of Corporate Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina (B.A. 1983) and the University of Virginia (J.D. 1987). His poems have appeared in Boulevard, Kansas Quarterly and elsewhere. He has written on law and literature or related issues for Columbia Law Review, Michigan Law Review, Legal Affairs, Wallace Stevens Journal, Philadelphia Inquirer, and other publications; and he served as an advisory editor of Boulevard in the 1990s. He also is the author of Icarus in the Boardroom: The Fundamental Flaws in Corporate America and Where They Came From (Oxford, 2005) and Debt’s Dominion: A History of Bankruptcy Law in America (Princeton, 2001).

Brief Overview:

The first three classes will outline the three strands of Law and Literature and how they've developed. The second week will be dedicated to analyse the development of the Law and the Humanities field of study in the USA and to understand how their reception is affected by the nature of American law school education.

Suggested Readings:

- D. A. Skeel, Lawrence Joseph and Law and Literature (soon to be published in the University of Cincinnati Law Review).

- J.M. Balkin / S. Lavinson, Law and the Humanities: An Uneasy Relationship, in "Yale Law Journal of Law and the Humanities", 18 (2006), pp. 155-186 (On HeinOnline).