| Dozent/in |
Prof. Florian Grisel; Université de Strasbourg CNRS, F |
| Veranstaltungsart |
Gastlehrveranstaltung |
| Code |
HS251281 |
| Semester |
Herbstsemester 2025 |
| Durchführender Fachbereich |
Grundlagenfächer |
| Studienstufe |
Master |
| Termin/e |
Di, 07.10.2025, 10:15 - 12:00 Uhr | 14:15 - 17:00 Uhr, 3.B48
Mi, 08.10.2025, 09:15 - 12:00 Uhr, HS 15
Mi, 08.10.2025, 14:15 - 17:00 Uhr, 3.B48
Do, 09.10.2025, 10:15 - 13:00 Uhr, 3.B48
Di, 21.10.2025, 08:30 - 09:30 Uhr, HS 5 (Prüfung) |
| Umfang |
1 Semesterwochenstunde |
| Turnus |
3 x 4 lessons |
| Inhalt |
This course consists of five sessions spread over three days (October 7th, 8th, and 9th). It explores broad themes related to the intersection of law and globalization through a socio-legal lens. The primary goal is to equip participants with key legal and social science concepts, as well as empirical examples, to support research on law and globalization and to deepen the understanding of law’s role in addressing global challenges.
We begin with an introduction to the sociology of law, followed by a session that draws on field and organizational theory to analyse legal globalization. The remaining three sessions illustrate the dynamics of global law through case studies of international commercial arbitration, international law, and digital platforms.
The course will be led by Florian Grisel, Research Professor (Directeur de Recherche) at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Centre for Socio-Legal Studies. Professor Grisel specializes in socio-legal studies, focusing on how law interacts with and influences global settings. His academic background includes degrees from Sciences Po Paris, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Columbia University, and Yale Law School. |
| E-Learning |
https://lms.uzh.ch/url/RepositoryEntry/17753735460 |
| Lernziele |
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
• Understand key theoretical traditions in the sociology of law (e.g., Ehrlich, Weber, Bourdieu).
• Analyze how legal organizations interact with global fields such as business, international courts, and digital platforms.
• Apply various methods to study transnational legal fields and organizations.
• Apply socio-legal concepts to contemporary global challenges. |
| Sprache |
Englisch |
| Begrenzung |
Yes, 50 |
| Anmeldung |
Registration/Deregistration mandatory on the UniPortal from 15.09., 08.00 h until 11.10.2025, 24.00 h / counts as exam registration / Law students with Bachelor's degree will be given priority.
|
| Leistungsnachweis |
On site examination, bring your own device.
The assessment will be based on a final research paper (2000 words) applying course concepts to a chosen legal issue. |
| Abschlussform / Credits |
Written exam, passed or failed / 2 Credits
|
| Hörer-/innen |
Ja |
| Kontakt |
florian.grisel@cnrs.fr |
| Material |
Under "Literature", the required reading is marked with an asterisk. |
| Anzahl Anmeldungen |
19 von maximal 50 |
| Literatur |
The required reading is marked with an asterisk (*) and available on OLAT.
SESSION 1
INTRODUCTION TO THE SOCIOLOGY OF LAW
Readings
• *Eugen Ehrlich, Fundamental Principles of the Sociology of Law, Routledge, 2002 [1913], pp. 486-506;
• *Hans Kelsen, General Theory of Law and State, Routledge, 2005 [1949], pp. 175-178;
• Stewart Macaulay, ‘Non-contractual relations in business: A preliminary study’ (1963) 28(1) American Sociological Review 55-67.
SESSION 2
PLANETS AND UNIVERSES: FIELDS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND THE LAW
Readings
• Pierre Bourdieu, « The Force of Law: Toward a Sociology of the Juridical Field » (1986-1987) 38 Hastings Law Journal 814 (and the translator’s introduction by Richard Terdiman);
• Pierre Bourdieu and Loïc J.D. Wacquant, An Invitation to Reflexive Sociology, The University of Chicago Press, 1991 [Ch II.3, II.4];
• *Sally Falk Moore, « Law and Social Change: The Semi-Autonomous Social Field as an Appropriate Subject of Study » (1973) 7(4) Law and Society Review 719-746;
• Neil Fligstein and Doug McAdam, A Theory of Fields, Oxford University Press, 2012, Ch 1;
• Walter W. Powell and Paul J. DiMaggio(eds), The New Institutionalism in Organizational Analysis, University of Chicago Press, 1991, Ch. 1.
SESSION 3
INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION AND THE GLOBALIZATION OF BUSINESS DISPUTE SETTLEMENT
Readings
• *Yves Dezalay and Bryant G. Garth, Dealing in Virtue: International Commercial Arbitration and the Construction of a Transnational Legal Order, 1996, The University of Chicago Press, Foreword by Pierre Bourdieu, Ch. 3;
• Florian Grisel, « Competition and Cooperation in International Commercial Arbitration: The Birth of a Transnational Legal Profession » (2017) 51/4 Law & Society Review 790.
SESSION 4
THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE: A STRONG ORGANIZATION IN A WEAK FIELD?
Readings
• *Florian Grisel et Esmé Shirlow, « The World in a Court: How the ICJ’s Organizational Practices Promote Stability in a Contested Field » (2025) 59 Law and Society Review 138-171;
• Anthea Roberts, Is International Law International?, 2017, Oxford University Press, Ch. 1;
• Guillaume Sacriste and Antoine Vauchez, « The force of international law: lawyers’ diplomacy on the international scene in the 1920s », 2007, 32/1 Law and Social Inquiry 83.
SESSION 5
LEGALIZING THE GLOBAL FIELD OF THE INTERNET
• Readings
• Florian Grisel and Giovanni de Gregorio, working paper (available on demand).
GENERAL READINGS
• Roger Cotterell, "The Sociology of Law: An Introduction", 2d ed., London: Butterworths, 1992;
• Simon Halliday & Patrick Schmidt (eds), "Tonducting Law and Society Research: Reflection on Methods and Practices", Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010;
• Erik Larson and Patrick Schmidt, "The Law & Society Reader II", New York: New York University Press, 2014;
• Specialised journals (selection): Law and Society Review, Law and Social Inquiry, Journal of Law and Society. |