Clusters

Within the ‘Sustainable Development and Global Justice’ cluster, you will engage in a postcolonial analysis of public international law. You will examine the global development architecture, with a focus on international (sustainable) development law and international economic governance. The cluster also explores the role of law in ecological crises and introduces key debates in human rights law, including its potential (and its limitations) in advancing global justice.

The legal clinic partner for this module is ClientEarth and/or similar NGOs. Professor Wouter Vandenhole is the cluster coordinator.

Do you wish to study abroad? The current privileged partners of the ‘Sustainable Development and Global Justice’ cluster are:

• National Law University Delhi (India)
  
• University of Padua (Italy)
• University of Pretoria (South Africa)
• Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (Lima, Peru)
  
• University of Eastern Finland (Joensuu/Kuopio, Finland)

Within the ‘Multilevel Constitutionalism and Fundamental Rights in Europe’ cluster, you will examine constitutional law and fundamental rights through the lens of interconnected levels of authority. The cluster explores how legal authority and governmental powers derive from constitutional frameworks (written or unwritten) that safeguard fundamental rights.

You will analyse the interaction between state institutions and the relationships between European, national and subnational governments, and how these different layers of authority operate in practice through concrete cases and complex policy challenges within the European legal space, including nation states, the European Union and the Council of Europe.

The cluster also examines the multilevel system of fundamental rights protection in Europe, considering the interaction between supranational, regional and national legal instruments. You will study how the domestic separation of powers—legislature, executive and judiciary—evolves in response to the growing influence of supranational law. Ultimately, the cluster focuses on how political and legal systems distribute powers across different territorial levels of governance and how a balance is maintained between regional or national autonomy and overall constitutional cohesion.

The legal clinic partner for this cluster is the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Professor Cedric Jenart is the cluster coordinator.

Do you wish to study abroad? The current privileged partners of the ‘Multilevel Constitutionalism and Fundamental Rights in Europe' cluster are:

• University of Graz (Austria)
  
• University of Trento (Italy)
  
• Maastricht University (the Netherlands)
• University of Zagreb (Croatia) 

Within the ‘Diversity and Law’ cluster, you will explore diversity from multiple perspectives across a range of legal fields. Together, we examine the role of legal professionals in addressing “wicked” societal challenges such as climate change, inequality, poverty and migration.

You will study how gender, sexuality and the law interact by engaging with feminist theory and jurisprudence, analysing key legal debates, and examining relevant legal frameworks in complex areas such as multi-parenthood. The module also considers how an interdisciplinary approach, combined with insights from administrative law, urban planning, consumer law, data protection and human right, can help shape cities that are more inclusive and sustainable.

In addition, you will gain a solid foundation in international and European immigration and asylum law. Through a legal clinic you will deepen your understanding of how this area of law operates in practice and what it means for people and institutions. If you choose to spend a semester abroad, you can select from a number of privileged partner institutions offering engaging courses that build on the expertise developed in Antwerp.

Thelegal clinic partner for this cluster is Nansen Belgian refugee council. Professor Esther van Zimmeren is the cluster coordinator.

Do you wish to study abroad? The current privileged partners of the ‘Diversity and Law' cluster are:

• Tilburg University (the Netherlands)
  
• University of Lods (Poland)
• University of Eastern Finland (Joensuu/Kuopio, Finland)
• University of Westminster (London, United Kingdon)
• National Law University Delhi (India)

In the cluster ‘Economic Governance’ you will study several aspects of economic regulation. This includes the European Union’s approach in this field, and how it combines government interventions with private initiatives. The interaction between the EU institutions, national legislators, regulators, businesses and other stakeholders is also covered, as well as the approach in specific sectors of the economy. Further, you will learn about international trade law with a focus on the WTO, trade defence instruments, free trade agreements and methods of dispute settlement. In international investment law you will look into principles of protection and substantive standards and investor-state dispute settlement. You will also consider the role and competence of the EU in this field. Finally, the course on intellectual property law shows how this field affects economic regulation, taking into consideration both its business and public governance context.

​​​Our legal clinic partner for this module is Hogan Lovells law firm in Brussels. Professor Jan Blockx is our module coordinator.

Do you want to study abroad? Below you can find an overview of our current privileged partners:

Within the cluster ‘Commercial Transactions & Disputes’ you will focus on the different approaches of and on the law applicable to commercial transactions. You will learn about the extent to which parties can navigate between legal systems, with respect to both substantive law and dispute settlement. You will tackle dispute settlement questions, such as: Should parties opt for court proceedings, arbitra-tion or mediation and what are the consequences of these choices? You will consider what the international effectof the resulting judgment, award or agreement is. You will study the methods and potential of private and business law harmonisation at a European and international level. The focus will be on key domains of private law such as contract law (with a specific focus on choice of law, sales law, trans-port law, and consumer law). You will learn to map contract chains and identify resource gaps. You will examine inter-national insolvency, including the question of enterprises that have assets in different countries and the insolvency of enterprise groups that are active in various countries. 

The legal clinic partners for this module are IMEC and Deutsche Seemannsmission in the port of Antwerp. Professor Wouter Verheyen is our module coordinator.

Do you want to study abroad? Below you can find an overview of our current privileged partners: