Law Exchange programme
During your exchange here in Groningen, you will get to equip yourself with more knowledge and insight into different fields of law, mostly at international or European level. Depending on which courses you choose, and which level in our level in our degree programmes they represent, you will come across different ways of teaching.
You will learn to think academically, solve legal issues and develop your legal reasoning. The way of teaching and examinations might be quite different from what you are used to at your home university.
How you will learn
Lectures and working groups
The UG Faculty of Law offers education mainly through lectures. These lectures can vary from being mostly one-way, to lectures with more interaction, requiring more preparation. Some courses have a working group, but not all. The working groups offered apply the theoretical framework from the lectures to cases. This not only to give you a better understanding of the theoretical framework, but also engages you more with the materials and teaches you to look at the world from a lawyer’s perspective. If you want to take the most out of the lectures and working groups, we strongly recommend that you read the literature for that that week before the lectures.
Exams
In the exams you will mainly be presented with case-based legal questions, so that you can demonstrate that you understand the law and also know how to apply it in specific cases. You will encounter few, if any, knowledge-based questions in the exams. In some cases, the examinations will be offered as an open book exam, to mimic the solving of cases in professional practice (so-called authentic assessment).
Why these methods matter
The aim of the use of the teaching methods ‘lecture’ and ‘working group’ is to equip you with the skills and mindset you will need in your professional career:
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During the lectures, you will learn how to listen to a comprehensive and sometimes detailed story, from which you can extract the key issues and relevant information. This skill is of great importance when you deal with clients in the future or have to respond to the legal team of your client’s opponent during negotiations.
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In working groups (and the exams), you will be applying course material to cases. In any legal job you will need to apply the law to specific cases, which requires you to identify the facts relevant to that particular case.
The idea is that, as a student, you should be able to work more and more independently the closer you get to the professional world; for this reason, working groups will not be offered for every course.
Some courses will involve group work. This will prepare you for a future career when you will have to work in a team.
Ready for your Exchange in Groningen?
Are you curious about which courses you can choose during your stay at the UG Faculty of Law or how the courses are structured? Check out Ocasys below or contact your Exchange Officers for personal advice.