Teaching Comparative Law: Experiences and Reflections

Author Katharina Boele-Woelki reports on her many years of teaching comparative law. This volume is addressed to (young) academics teaching comparative law and to all those interested in the questions of what, when, who, why and how. Three aspects need to be considered. In terms of the subject matter, the challenge is to focus either on the history and use of comparative law, on introductions to different legal systems, on teaching a particular area of law from a comparative perspective, or on comparative methodology. The latter should always be included, since it is only by knowing how to compare that a course in comparative law can develop its potential with lasting impact on students' future careers as legal scholars, lawyers or decision-makers. The expertise of the lecturer, the time available and the target group determine the environment which requires forethought and a flexible approach to course content and teaching format. With regard to the way in which comparative law is taught, four different methods are explained, based on the motto "learning by doing": explaining one's own jurisdiction to fellow-students, comparing on the basis of pre-selected material, comparing of comparative legal studies carried out by others and, finally, undertaking a comparative legal study by the students themselves. About the author: Katharina Boele-Woelki is Chair of the Commission on European Family Law and a member of the Curatorium of the Hague Academy of International Law. She was Professor of Private International Law, Comparative Law and Family Law at the University of Utrecht from 1995 to 2015, President of Bucerius Law School, Hamburg, from 2015 to 2023, Claussen-Simon Foundation Professor of Comparative Law at the same institution and President of the International Academy of Comparative Law from 2014 to 2022. About the Maastricht Law Series: Created in 2018 by Boom juridisch and Eleven International Publishing in association with the Maastricht University Faculty of Law, the Maastricht Law Series publishes books on comparative, European and International law. The series builds upon the tradition of excellence in research at the Maastricht Faculty of Law, its research centers and the Ius Commune Research School. The Maastricht Law Series is a peer reviewed bookseries that allows researchers an excellent opportunity to showcase their work.