University of
Munich – Faculty of Law 
I. General Topic:
The protection of the
human personality (right of privacy in the widest sense) in private, public,
and criminal law considered especially in view of private international and
comparative law as well as under the aspect of European law harmonisation.
(European protection of the human being and the human personality).
II. Presentation:
Within the above described
general topic the centre will be organising and coordinating the research of
German, French and English Ph.D. students on the protection and development of
the right of human personality within the legal systems of the member states of
the EU. The research will concentrate on the laws for the time being, on reform
projects and on the historical developments. The studies shall analyse the
actual and/or historical legal situation and the philosophical, ethical,
medical, and economical dimensions of the problem and develop concepts for
practical guidance and future legislation.
The topic moves from an open
comprehension of the human personality including pre- and postnatal, genetic
and post mortal problems. However, the two-year-program will focus on the human
personality in the laws concerning the media, in the law of competition, in
industrial and intellectual property law as well as on the corporal integrity
and the rights of self-determination with regard to medical treatment and
medical interventions before or after birth or death. The philosophical and
ethical dimensions of these problems will also be subject of the program.
Due to the very different
approaches within the European legal systems the topic requires research in
areas as well of private, public, and criminal law. Therefore, Professors of
the University of Munich, who work in these specific fields, will supervise the
research. In addition, the comparative law aspects are strengthened by the
envisaged cooperation with other leading European Universities. A cooperation
agreement has been concluded between the Munich University and Université
Paris II (Panthéon-Assas) and Université Montesquieu (Bordeaux IV).
A letter of intent from the University of Oxford shows interest in
participation.
III. Conditions
The Ph.D. students are
expected to start working on their thesis (Dissertation) right from the
beginning, reporting on their research from time to time and discussing the
common and special aspects of their subjects with the other members of the
centre. The thesis should be completed at the end of the second year either in
Munich or at one of the other cooperating institutions.
For further details please
contact our german homepage.