Ateneo - UPO

To provide a comprehensive understanding of the legal treatment of the human body in private law, with a specific focus on dignity, personal rights, and bioethical considerations.

The program encompasses legal, ethical, and bioethical aspects of the human body through lectures (including distance learning), case studies, and interactive discussions.

Imogen Goold, Kate Greasley, Jonathan Herring and Loane Skene (eds.), Persons, Parts and Property: How Should We Regulate Human Tissue in the 21st Century?, Oxford, Hart Publishing, 2014, 309 pp.
Additional details will be provided in class.

The main goal of this course is to present a framework for understanding the concept of the person and the human body, with a focus on recent developments in doctrine and jurisprudence. We will study individual cases that deal with issues arising from advances in technology and science, in order to demonstrate how private law addresses the complexity of contemporary phenomena. Throughout the course, we will encourage the use of interdisciplinary methods to provide students with unconventional tools for understanding social and legal issues related to the relationship between the individual and the body.

Basic notions of law

The course is organized around reading assignments and class discussions rather than lectures. Attendance is recommended.

The teaching method consists of lessons devoted to explaining the main concepts of the program. During the lessons, we will proceed in classroom discussions (in person or remotely) on issues and topics identified by students. The subjects will be dealt with from a theoretical point of view, referencing the rules of interpretation expressed by the courts in applying the law and comparative experiences from historical, economic, and anthropological perspectives.

Active lecture participation is essential in assessing the students’ learning degree.

Students are invited to visit the course's Dir page for further information about the supplementary material and the detailed program.

Students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) or Special Educational Needs (SEN) can request specific services and tools dedicated to them by contacting the Career Development and Services Staff and by consulting the dedicated page on the University website: https://uniupo.it/it/servizi/servizi-studentidisabili-e-dsa. Once in touch with the University Staff, students with disabilities, SLD, or SEN can then contact the course instructor to discuss the exam arrangements and educational aspects.

The written examinations will be approximately 40 minutes long. They are designed to verify that the student has not only learned the program's fundamentals but also understands how methodological tools can help provide solutions to the most relevant issues facing the human body from a private perspective.

1) The concept of "person" in private law.
2) The right to health and physical integrity.
3) The limits to private autonomy in relation to the human body.
4) Property rights and the human body.
5) The human body in bioethics and the right to life.

- Gain a deeper understanding of language usage in discussions about the notion of person and the human body from a legal perspective;
- Recognize the importance of the human body within the context of private law;
- Acquire knowledge of interdisciplinary approaches within the legal field;
- Effectively convey information, ideas, problems, and solutions regarding legal questions related to the human body to both specialists and non-specialists;
- Develop the ability to gather and analyze data to form independent judgments, while reflecting on relevant eco-social, scientific, and ethical issues.