In the academic year 2025/26, we will not stream this course.

The semester course "Introduction to Swiss Law" introduces the students to key aspects of Swiss Law (including the role of European Law in Switzerland).

The course consists of the following nine modules, which members of the Faculty teach:

- A brief history of everything

- Switzerland and the European Union

- Swiss Public Law

- Tort Law

- Inheritance Law

- Property Law

- Criminal Law

- Contract Law

- Tax Law

To give you a chance to follow the "Blockkurse"/"Cours blocs" in weeks 1-3 of the semester, the course will start in the fourth week of the fall semester. It will then take place every Thursday (except where noted otherwise in the course program) from 12:15 pm to 3.00 pm.

Students take a 2-hours written examination.

By participating in this course and contributing to discussions, you will:

– gain insight into key areas of Swiss law;
– learn about the main sources of law, including codified law and decisions from the Federal Supreme Court;
– understand the unique aspects of Swiss law in comparison to foreign legislation.

The knowledge you acquire will enable you to critically compare and contrast the rules of substantive Swiss law with those of your home country.

Documentation will be made available in the respective course on the platform "moodle".