The course aims at offering to the students an introduction to legal
informatics: to its technical background, to its theory, history and
perspectives, and to its relationship with "positive law". The goal is
stressing the role of ICT in the education of lawyers intended to operate
in contemporary world.
Students attending the course may use their notes from the lectures
together with the reading materials to be distributed during the course.
The recommended handbook is:
F. Faini, S. Pietropaoli, Scienza giuridica e tecnologie informatiche, Giappichelli, Torino 2021.
For students enrolled in computer science degree courses, the text can be replaced with one of the following:
Stefano Pietropaoli, Informatica criminale, Giappichelli, 2022,
or, specifically for those who do not have an adequate knowledge of the Italian language:
William Oettinger, Learn Computer Forensics (2nd Edition), PACKT, 2022.
Learning Objectives
Knowledge
Basic computer skills. Knowledge of the main tools of legal information.
Knowledge of fundamentals of legal informatics and ICT law.
Abilities
Skills in choosing the tools to carry out the legal professions and their
management. Basic training in the management of traditional and digital
legal resources.
Results to be obtained
High degree of competence in solving practical problems, using the
knowledge and skills acquired in legal informatics. Attitude to the
searching of jurisprudence, legislation and case law, through the
consultation of traditional and online archives and databases.
Prerequisites
No.
Teaching Methods
The course will consist of 48 hours of lectures with plenty of opportunities
for training in class.
Power point presentations and other materials handed out during the lessons, will be available through the Moodle Platform.
Further information
Type of Assessment
As a guideline, the oral examination will consist of three questions: one of a general nature, one focusing on a specific institute, and one formulated on the basis of one of the judicial decisions or practical cases part of the programme. The assessment will allow the examination to be passed if the answers are fully sufficient and no major errors or gaps emerge. The assessment will be excellent if the answers are also comprehensive with reference to the relevant constitutional principles and relevant case law. The following profiles will also be taken into consideration: ability to discursively organise knowledge, critical reasoning ability, quality of exposition, competence in the use of specialist vocabulary, effectiveness and linearity of exposition. Descriptive knowledge, to a greater or lesser extent, but without critical analysis and without reference to the constitutional and jurisprudential context, may result in a sufficient but hardly higher mark than 25.
Course program
Classes and lectures will address the following topics: legal informatics
between law and computer science; ICT and computers; hardware and
software; proprietary software and open source software; operating
systems; text editor and spreadsheet; HTML; computer networks,
internet, web and e-mail; from web 1.0 to web 2.0; digital identity and
privacy in the network; electronic documents; digital signatures and
certified mail; information society; from e-government to open
government; digital public administration: "rights" and tools; search
engines; digital piracy; cybercrimes; cyberwarfare.