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Syllabus GERMAN CIVIL CODE - 62311
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Last update 11-02-2018
HU Credits: 2

Degree/Cycle: 1st degree (Bachelor)

Responsible Department: law

Semester: 2nd Semester

Teaching Languages: Hebrew

Campus: Mt. Scopus

Course/Module Coordinator: Katya Assaf Zakharov

Coordinator Email: katya.assaf@mail.huji.ac.il

Coordinator Office Hours: Wed 12:15-13:00

Teaching Staff:
Dr. Katya Assaf

Course/Module description:
The course aims to provide basic knowledge of the German Civil Code (das BGB). The students learn the basic principles and the main doctrines of the BGB, which allows them to acquire basic knowledge of the continental thought in the field of civil law.

Course/Module aims:
Continental legal systems are characterized by an h way of thinking, general categories and exact rules that are similar to mathematical rules. This way of thinking is profoundly different from the casuistic thought, which characterizes the Ango-American legal systems generally and the Israeli legal system in particular. The course aims to widen the horizons of the students by exposing them to a legal thought that profoundly differs from the one they are used to.

Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
•Analyze a contract law case in terms of German Law

•Analyze a tort law case in terms of German Law

•Outline the basic principles of the German legal system

Attendance requirements(%):
100%

Teaching arrangement and method of instruction: Lecture

Course/Module Content:
1st Lecture: Introduction

What is German Law
German Civil Code - Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (BGB)
History, Structure, Spirit

2nd Lecture: Basic Concepts
Obligation (Schuldverhältnis) - § 241 (1)
Legal Transaction (Rechtsgeschäft)
Expression of Will (Willenserklärung)

3rd Lecture: Types of Expression of Will
Unilateral and Multilateral Expression of Will
Expression of Will that requires reception and Expression of Will that does not require reception


4th Lecture: Expression of Will - Elements

Objective Element
Formal Requirements (Formzwang) - § 125

Subjective Element
1. Geschäftsbewusstsein
2. Erklärungsbewusstsein
3. Geschäftswille

Performing Expression of Will and Receiving It
Fixated and non-fixated Expression of Will
Messengers

5th Lecture: Conclusion of Contract
Offer and Acceptance - §§ 145-149
Interpretation - § 133
invitatio ad offerendum

6th Lecture: Types of Legal Transactions
Verpflichtungsgeschäft and Verfügungsgeschäft
The Separation Principle, the Abstraction Principle
Unjust Enrichment - §§ 812, 818, 822

7-10th Lectures: Deficiencies in Expression of Will
Legal capacity - §§ 104-113

Deficiency of Will (Willengsmangel)

1. Intended Deficiencies

Purposeful Hiding - § 116
Simulated Act - § 117
Non-seriousness - § 118

2. Unintended Deficiencies: Mistakes

Mistake in Motivation
Mistake in Legal Consequences
Mistakes of § 119
Wrong Transformation § 120

Cancellation because of a mistake §§ 121, 142, 143
The duty to compensate - § 122

3. The Doctrine “Wegfall der Geschäftsgrundlage”
Complementary Interpretation
Wegfall der Geschäftsgrundlage - § 157

4. Unlawful Influence on One’s Will

Deception - § 123
Illegal Threat - § 123

Cancellation because of deception or a threat – § 124

11th Lecture: Unlawful and Immoral Legal Transactions
Unlawful Legal Transactions § 134
Immoral Legal Transactions § 138

12-13th Lecture: Obligations Based on Law
Torts - § 823(1)
Actions performed without due authority (Geschäftsführung ohne Auftrag) - §§ 677, 678,680, 683, 685-687

14th Lecture: Third Parties in Obligations
Proxies - §§ 164-168, 177, 179
Assistants - § 278, § 831(1)

Required Reading:
No required reading

Additional Reading Material:


§§ 125, 241 (1) BGB
NORBERT HORN, HEIN KÖTZ & HANS LESER, GERMAN PRIVATE AND COMMERCIAL LAW: AN INTRODUCTION 1982 (hereinafter: “GERMAN PRIVATE AND COMMERCIAL LAW”), pp. 74-76

§§ 133,145-149 BGB
GERMAN PRIVATE AND COMMERCIAL LAW, pp. 76-79

§§ 812, 818, 822 BGB
B.S. MARKESINIS, H. UNBERTH & A. JOHNSTON, THE GERMAN LAW OF CONTRACT: A
COMPARATIVE TREATISE 2006 (hereinafter: “THE GERMAN LAW OF CONTRACT”), pp. 27-33

MARKESINIS THE GERMAN LAW OF OBLIGATIONS, VOL. 1: MARKESINIS, LORENZ &
DANNEMANN, THE LAW OF CONTRACTS AND RESTITUTION: A COMPARATIVE
INTRODUCTION 1997 (hereinafter: “THE LAW OF CONTRACTS AND RESTITUTION”), pp. 20-21, 710-714

§§ 104-113, 116-118 BGB
GERMAN PRIVATE AND COMMERCIAL LAW, pp. 71-74


§§ 119-122, 142-143 BGB
THE LAW OF CONTRACTS AND RESTITUTION, pp. 195-201
THE GERMAN LAW OF CONTRACT, pp. 276-302

§ 157 BGB
THE LAW OF CONTRACTS AND RESTITUTION, pp. 537-542
GERMAN PRIVATE AND COMMERCIAL LAW, pp. 80-84

§§ 123-124, 134, 138 BGB
THE GERMAN LAW OF CONTRACT, pp. 302-318
THE LAW OF CONTRACTS AND RESTITUTION, pp. 174-185

§§ 677-678, 680, 683, 685-687, 823(1) BGB
GERMAN PRIVATE AND COMMERCIAL LAW, pp. 146-155

§§ 164-168, 177, 179, 278, 831(1)
GERMAN PRIVATE AND COMMERCIAL LAW, pp. 225-227







Course/Module evaluation:
End of year written/oral examination 100 %
Presentation 0 %
Participation in Tutorials 0 %
Project work 0 %
Assignments 0 %
Reports 0 %
Research project 0 %
Quizzes 0 %
Other 0 %

Additional information:
 
Students needing academic accommodations based on a disability should contact the Center for Diagnosis and Support of Students with Learning Disabilities, or the Office for Students with Disabilities, as early as possible, to discuss and coordinate accommodations, based on relevant documentation.
For further information, please visit the site of the Dean of Students Office.
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