Comparing Common Law and Civil Law Courts
These comparative government lessons help students understand the similarities and differences between the two major court systems used in the world today. They were both developed by the Delaware Law Related Education Center, Inc. and are a product of CIVITAS: An International Exchange Program administered by the Center for Civic Education and funded through a subcontract from the United States Department of Education for the Croatian Partnership of Oregon, Maryland and Delaware. The copyright is held by the Center for Civic Education (CCE).
Lesson 1: A Tale of Two Courts
Two scripted mock trials of the tale of Hansel and Grethel. One trial uses the America Common Law system and the other trial uses the Croatian Civil Law System. Download Lesson
Lesson 2: Corrective Justice
This lesson is based on a character in the scripted mock trials. It uses testimony from both trials and explores how a person might be held responsible for the actions of another. The lesson also uses material from CCE’s Foundations of Democracy. Download Lesson
