Courses

Lecturers: dr. Paul Verbruggen, dr. Lianne Wijntjens, dr. Charlotte Zegveld

In this course, we investigate a private-law theme that is highly current and complex: liability for defective medical devices. Faltering pacemakers, torn breast implants and vaccine side-effects are just some of the many examples of faulty medical devices that, after having been used by surgeons, doctors and other medical personnel, have caused damage to patients. The question that arises in such cases is whether, and if so to what extent, medical practitioners bear civil liability for the damage caused. That question can only be answered by going into various rules—on both the European and the national level, and of both public and private nature—that govern the use of medical devices. Therefore, we will in this course be charting the norm complex that aspires to demarcate the limits of liability for defective medical devices.

Lecturers: prof. dr. Saskia Lavrijssen, prof. dr. Martijn Groenleer, dr. Bart van der Sloot

European and national regulations play a crucial  role in the materialization of the energy transition and the realization of international and European climate objectives. The Ministry of Economic Affairs is currently preparing new draft legislation that will have a major impact on the energy sector. These proposals aim to digitalize and make sustainable the entire sector. 

This Top Class course aims to give insight into the role law can play in achieving the European and national climate objectives and in the speeding-up of a just energy transition.

In this context, attention will be paid to the concept of energy justice and to sustainability, delivery guarantees, and energy transition affordability. The most relevant European and national (draft) legislation pertaining to regulating and speeding-up the energy transition will be covered in this course. We will in this light reflect on the role law can play in the energy transition. We will for instance discuss the Shell case in order to look at State responsibility and market responsibility in realizing the energy transition. Relevant legislation will be discussed with the aid of practical examples. We will also practice with analyzing and solving ‘real-life’ cases.

Lecturer: Joris van Laarhoven MA LLM

An ever increasing part of the lives of a vast number of people is lived out on the Internet. Needless to say, this has major implications for law, since regulating social processes is often seen as being the key purpose of law. As has happened earlier in the wake of great technological paradigm shifts (printing press, radio, film, television), the (relatively) new technology behind the Internet and its social media confronts societies with new challenges—or at least with the same challenges as before but in a substantially different form.

In this course, we look at online disinformation and its impact on and relation to the democratic constitutional State. In democratic constitutional States, such as ours, a steady, accessible flow of understandable and high-quality information is absolutely essential. What’s more, one of the three main reasons that the fundamental right to free expression (which includes the right to receive information) exists at all in modern democracies, is that such a right enables citizens to participate properly in their democracy (the other two main reasons being that individuals may develop themselves, and that the truth can be pursued). 

In that context, disinformation, particularly the kind that serves a political goal, is not quite beneficial to democratic constitutional States. Now, of course lies, distortions, untruths, and propaganda have of course been run-of-the-mill in practically every society since the dawn of man. The Internet, and its social media in particular, have however given substantially new form to all this and has presented democracies worldwide with very serious problems.

In this course we will assess whether the law should even play a role in combating fake news; and if not, why not, and if yes, which things are important to bear in mind in shaping that role.

Lecturer: prof. mr. M. Nelemans

In this Top Class course students will investigate whether—and if so, to what extent—artificial intelligence (A.I.) has, can have, or could have influence on the criminal justice system, and which (possible) challenges arise in this context. Can we hold a delinquent robot criminally liable? Will crime be predictable and (thus) preventable? To what extent will we even need police officers in the future?

There has been ample media attention aimed at A.I. This technology offers a wealth of possibilities for new applications. Just think of the self-driving car. Practically every industry can deploy A.I. to ameliorate existing applications or to develop new ones.

In this course, the criminal justice system takes center stage. How could A.I. play a role in this system?  Will this technology for instance contribute to solving workload and backlog problems in, for instance, the Public Prosecutor’s Office or the courts?

This Top Class course is interdisciplinary by design because it combines technology with legal, societal, and ethical questions. The purpose is not to hand out made-to-measure answers but to familiarize students with the legal questions of the future.