Introduction to Law is an intensive course designed to introduce students to the main aspects of the Rwandan legal system and Rwandan law. This key introductory level 1 unit is taught entirely on campus and considers the nature and role of law. It examines the role and function of a legal system by considering why laws develop, how laws are created, interpreted and applied and the role that law plays in regulating and administering justice within a society. The relationship between law, judicial reasoning, public policy and politics is also explored. You will work through the module using a blend of physical and electronic text materials, and other interactive activities. The key aspects of law-making in Rwanda are covered, including the mechanisms created for the administration and enforcement of justice in these jurisdictions. The module also considers a number of fundamental legal concepts such as rules, justice, courts, liability, culpability, evidence and sanctions.
The course is specifically designed to be of wider interest to those in, or aspiring to fields, such as finance, government, media, administration, and the social sciences and humanities generally, as well as prospective law students. More specifically, this course aims at providing students with an introduction to public law, both substantive and procedural public law. The student should be able to distinguish between public and private law, and understand the relationship between different branches of public law. In this course, we also focus on the definition of private law, its particularities as compared to other fields of law. This unit discusses the basic notions of different aspects of private law (civil, commercial and labour law) for preparing students to understand the courses of private or business law as such, etc.
- Module Team: Dr. Alfred MWENEDATA