THE COURSE
Overview
The course “EU criminal law and policy” is 45 hours annual master course embodied in the official curriculum of VMU Faculty of Law. The aim of the module – to deepen the knowledge about the EU impact on the national criminal law of the EU Member States which is still deemed by many students and professionals to be a national field of law. The course will be open not only to students but also proposed to interested lawyers.
The module provides in depth and systemic teaching on EU Criminal Law and Policy while methodological instruments employed in the course help to develop critical thinking, application of theory to practical cases and situations, i.e. finding of solutions.
The course combines the study of more general issues of EU Criminal Law such as sources, institutions and etc., combined with specific issues such as EU financial interests, corporate crime and liability, money laundering and terrorism.
The case law and practical situations help for fixing of theoretical knowledge and development of critical thinking which is crucial for graduates of legal studies.
Students and lawyers learn to analyze relevant facts and policies in the EU criminal law, to interpret and apply sources of European criminal law and argue cases; to identify European criminal law issues in concrete, real- life situations. Graduates of the course understand and access the influence of national and European policy choices and consequences on the practice of criminal law and procedure. Develop analytical skills and critical approach and cultivate a comparative perspective on the Europeanization process.
The Module
The module “EU criminal law and policy” is seen as an activity consisting of the following components:
1) teaching and research as the main activities;
2) service to the university and society as supplementary activities.
Apart from teaching the course and conducting research about the topic EU Criminal law and policy, it includes organization of round table discussions for practitioners (lawyers) and policy makers, open lectures for different groups and attendance of international conferences/seminars by the applicants.