PROF. DR.

STEFAN MAGEN
LEHRSTUHL FÜR ÖFFENTLICHES RECHT,
RECHTSPHILOSOPHIE UND RECHTSÖKONOMIK

Course

Law, Democracy and Disagreement (XXX)

Spring Term 2021

It is no exaggeration to say that liberal constitutionalism is in crisis. Modern societies have

been for a long time permeated by strong political and moral disagreements. With the rise of
populism and nationalist politics in Europe, US and beyond, the situation seems to have
become radicalized in recent years. Disagreements are now so widespread that the very basic
notions of democracy and of political community are at stake. This raises a number of
questions about the nature and purpose of politics, its relation to law, as well as the function
of legal and political institutions.

In order to discuss these questions, this course will introduce you to the works of various
legal, political and social philosophers about controversial topics such as freedom of
expression and speech, pornography, hate speech, abortion, euthanasia, fake news as well as
to seminal texts about the nature of democracy and rights in liberal and non-liberal traditions
(e.g. communitarianism).

This course has a strong inter-disciplinary character. Active participation and discussion are
expected.

This course will consist in total of 11 meetings, to be held every XXXX

Information about the course

Instructor:
Dr. Felipe Oliveira de Sousa
Contact: felipe.oliveiradesousa@rub.de

Language:
English.

Basic reading materials

There is no course book for this course. The relevant reading materials will be provided each week via Moodle
(please contact the instructor or the chair’s secretariat for the password)

Schedule
Due to the exceptional circumstances, this course will be taught fully on-line via Zoom. After the registration is
concluded, the instructor will send you an email with more information.

Gebäude GD / Etage 2 / Raum 371

eMail: ls-magen@rub.de / Telefon-Nr.: 0234-32-29640
PROF. DR. STEFAN MAGEN
LEHRSTUHL FÜR ÖFFENTLICHES RECHT,
RECHTSPHILOSOPHIE UND RECHTSÖKONOMIK

This course will be held every XXXX from XX-XX.

The first lecture will be held at XXXXX.

Assessment
Your final grade will consist of three assignments: (i) a presentation that you will be asked to give throughout
the course; (ii) shortly weekly written assignments on the topic of the meeting; and (iii) a take-home assignment
(the specific deadline will be made available throughout the course). The specific topics/questions for the
assignment will be given during the course.

Available certificates
Grundlagenschein gem. § 39 Abs. 3 Nr. 2 SPO
Promotionsschein gem. § 3 Abs. 2 PromO
Fremdsprachenschein gem. § 7 Abs. 1 Nr. 3 JAG

Registration
To sign up for the course, please contact the instructor (felipe.oliveiradesousa@rub.de) or the chair secretariat
(ls-magen@rub.de). Alternatively, you may also attend the first lecture. Note, however, that this course will be
limited to 30 students, who will be registered on a first-come-first-served basis.

If you have any questions about the course or the registration, please contact the instructor.

Gebäude GD / Etage 2 / Raum 371

eMail: ls-magen@rub.de / Telefon-Nr.: 0234-32-29640