O Captain! My Captain! Teaching criminal law through law in literature

Abstract

Generally, the teaching of law is based on the master class, the study focused on memorization, the lack of interdisciplinary training and the inadequate training of teachers in legal education. Law and literature in its aspect of law in literature is a valuable didactic resource that enriches the training of lawyers at an interpersonal, interdisciplinary and intercultural level. In criminal matters, the pedagogical requirement of training lawyers based on competencies finds in the theoretical and dogmatic analysis of literary cases, an opportunity to renew the didactic teaching techniques; therefore, a technical, human and critical learning of law necessarily involves giving literary content to the case method, the inverted class, the seminar and academic writing. The film The Dead Poets Society by Peter Weird serves as a starting point to reflect on a more cooperative and less hierarchical teaching of criminal law.