2025 Course Offerings
Cinematic Justice: International Criminal Trials in Comparative Perspective
- 3 credits, taught by Professor Amy Dillard (University of Baltimore School of Law) and TBA (University of Aberdeen)
- This seminar will explore how cinema, both documentary and fictional, has depicted, interpreted and shaped public understanding of criminal trials across different legal systems. Through analysis of landmark films, students will examine how filmmakers have captured the procedural and substantive complexities of justice, from international tribunals to domestic proceedings.
- The course addresses three core themes: (1) the tension between dramatic storytelling and legal accuracy; (2) how different legal traditions and procedures are represented on screen; and (3) cinema's role in shaping collective memory and public discourse around justice systems.
- Through a curated combination of fictional and documentary films, students will explore how different legal systems approach fundamental questions of justice, evidence and procedure. Weekly screenings will be paired with readings from trial transcripts, legal commentary, and film criticism. Special attention will be paid to comparing adversarial and inquisitorial systems, jury and bench trials, and traditional vs. international tribunals.
Biotechnology, Bioethics, and the Law: A Comparative Approach
- 3 credits, taught by Professor Natalie Ram (University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law) and TBA (University of Aberdeen)
- This course will explore the relationship between ethics and law in the context of health care, public health, biomedical research and biotechnology. Using United Kingdom and United States examples and case studies, students will then explore the intersection of ethical theory and legal regulation across historical and contemporary controversies in bioethics. Course readings, discussion and a short final paper will enable students to consider how ethics and law can help us clarify the debates and resolve difficult issues.
- Topics may include those where the U.S. and U.K. legal systems differ or converge substantially. Among the former are topics including the legal regulation of abortion and assisted reproductive technology, the role of conscience in medical practice, and forensic use of genetic information. Among the latter are topics including human subjects research, newborn screening, and regulation of transplantable organs. In addition, the course may include consideration of topics arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic, including the appropriateness of human challenge trials for vaccine or other research.