PODCAST SERIES: Legal History from a European Perspective - A Podcast Course by Emanuele Conte

(Source: Institute of Legal and Constitutional Research)

By Emanuele Conte, with: John Hudson, Matthew McHaffie, Sarah White, Attilio Stella, William Eves, Andrew Cecchinato, David De Concilio, Dan Armstrong, and Kim Tao Le.

Special guests: Caroline Humfress, Robert Bartlett, and Piotr Gorecki. Music by Piero Conte

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This series of podcasts is meant as a tool to help to improve the quality of the teaching and learning of legal history. It has been produced during the 2020/21 pandemic when teaching was compelled to move online. This created the possibility of freeing the limited time in the class from forms of teaching that go just one way, from the teacher to the listeners. The podcast course does not aim to replace real classes, held in person. Indeed, the pandemic confirmed to all of us the irreplaceable importance of face-to-face teaching.  Shifting such unidirectional teaching into podcasts, providing a body of shared listening, frees class time to allow discussion of uncertainties, doubts, tentative interpretations, free speculations.

The series of podcasts recorded by Emanuele Conte for his Legal History class has been enriched and improved thanks to the collaborative work of the research group of legal historians based at St. Andrews University and led by John Hudson.

We believe that the study of legal history can be a powerful instrument in educating the critical senses of both students of history and students of law. That is why this course gives the points of view of the participants about many legal historical problems ranging from late Antiquity to the 19th Century. Some teachers may disagree with our choices, or with our views, and this can help to develop a critical attitude in the students. You can agree or (still better) disagree with the content of the podcasts. You may think that some crucial topics have been neglected or superficially treated. Your students may also remark that some passages are not clear enough, or contradict books and articles which they have read. This should encourage debates and discussions in class.

The collection is meant to be open to external collaboration, as a work in permanent progress. Teachers and students wanting to suggest more podcasts, topics to deal with, issues to be clarified, and discussions of specific points to be added to the collection can write to emanueleconte@gmail.com.