None.

Knowledge and understanding: the course aims to provide an in-depth Foundations of Private law knowledge in a european, comparative and international perspective, starting from its background and terminology and paying particular attention to fundamental principles, subjects' rights, obligations, contracts, tort law, property and possession, family law, succession law, Artificial Intelligence and new technologies.

Applying knowledge and understanding: the course will develop students' ability to independently identify and manage legal issues in the field of private law with a European, comparative and international approach and in particular those arising from modern challenges connected to new technologies like blockchain, smart contracts and Artificial Intelligence.

Making judgements: during the course, through exercises in class and group work, students will examine different practical legal issues and apply their knowledge to specific cases.

Communication skills: during the course, through exercises in class and group work, students will develop the communication skills required in the field of legal advising in private law; they will learn to explain and discuss private law issues and their solutions.

Learning skills: a proactive approach by students will be encouraged, providing them with the tools for ongoing self-education.

The course focuses on the main institutes of private law, in particular: 

• legal system, rules, principles
• sources of private law
• Legal facts/acts and legal effects. 
• Subjective legal situations. Natural persons. Legal capacity, capacity to act, natural capacity. Legal persons. Associations, foundations, committees.
• Property. Possession. Ways of acquiring property, actions to protect property and possession.
• Obligations in general. Concept, structure and characteristics of obligations. Sources of obligations. ‘Negotiorum gestio. Undue payment. Unjust enrichment. Natural obligations. Divisible and indivisible obligations. Performance and non performance. Manners to terminate the obligations other than performance. Subjective and objective modifications of the obligation. 
• Protection of rights.
• Contract. Essential elements of the contract. Agreement, causa, object, form. Non-essential elements. Condition, term, modus. Typical and atypical contracts. Freedom to contract and limits. Negotiations and pre-contractual liability. Interpretation of contract. Preliminary contract. Option and pre-emption. Validity and invalidity of contract. Voidness, action of nullity. Voidability, action of annulment. Consumer protection. Performance and non-performance of the contract. Termination of contract. Contractual liability.
• Tort Law, Extra contractual liability. 
• Family law. Constitutional principles and family relations. Marriage, civil partnership, cohabitation. Rights and duties of spouses. Separation and divorce. Filiation. Protection of minors.
• Mortis causa successions. Testamentary succession. The will. Inheritance and legacy. Legitimate succession. Forced heirs.
• New technologies and private law: blockchain, smart contracts, non fungible tokens, Artificial Intelligence.

The programme of the course is the same for attending and non attending students.

1. (A) P. Sirena, Introduction to private Law, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2021, Cap. 1-11 (included).

2. (A)G. Iudica, P. Zatti, Language and rules of Italian Private Law, Wolters Kluwer-Cedam, 2020; Cap. 1-22 (included) e 27-28 (included).

3. (C) G. Alpa, M. Andenas, European private law, Pacini giuridica, 2022, Cap. 1-8 (included)

4. (C) G. Vulpiani, Non fungible tokens: an Italian Private law perspective, The Italian law journal, 2023, pp. 363-387.

Course offered entirely in English.

Teaching materials discussed in class will be available on the Teams page of the course.

During the course slides and other materials will be provided.

Practical cases will be discussed during the course.

The program of the course is the same for attending and not-attending students.

Further clarifications on the course programme, materials and examination can be made by contacting the lecturer at her institutional e-mail address

• 1. Teaching approach: theoretical, applied. 

  2. Types of lectures mostly used: frontal lecture; interactive lecture; classroom exercises, group work; planned interventions of students under the supervision of the lecturer; interventions of experts (if possible). 

  3. Instrumentation adopted: use of multimedia supports in the classroom, pc, materials, slides.

• The final exam will be oral and it will be on the whole programme: sources of private law, persons, protection of rights, obligations, contracts, family law, succession law, ownership and possession, new technologies and private law.

  The exam will be entirely in english.

  The exam aims to verify the level of knowledge and critical capacity achieved through the study of the subject. More particularly, the evaluation criteria will be: (a) knowledge and ability to understand the handbook (20% of the total overall assessment); (b) ability to make connections between the handbook and the case studies (20%); (c) ability to apply knowledge (20%); (d) autonomy of judgment and critical thinking (20%); (e) transposition of acquired knowledge in terms of professional usability (20% ).

  
  

The course is held exclusively in English

English