Folia Canonica 2. (1999)
NEWS IN BRIEF - Varghese Koluthara: Institute of Oriental Canon Law at Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram, Bangalore, India
INSTITUTE OF ORIENTAL CANON LAW 281 Dissertation Each student should write a dissertation of 20.000 - 30.000 words in the area of his\her specialization. Registration for the dissertation shall be made latest at the beginning of the third semester. The student selects the topic of his\her choice with the approval of the Director. The Director in consultation with the Institute Council gives a panel of guides from whom the student can select one as the guide of the dissertation. A scheme of the dissertation (minimum 300 words) has to be submitted to the director for approval. The scheme shall include the relevance of the theme, sources, methodology, outline of chapters, and bibliography. The dissertation, written under the format prescribed by DVK, should be submitted towards the end of the fourth semester. Examination on the dissertation is conducted at the end of the fourth semester in the presence of a panel of three examiners appointed by the Controller of Examinations in consultation with the Director. The examination on the dissertation shall have the duration of one hour. Teaching method The teaching methods adopted for the degree programme are such as to promote multi-disciplinary enquiry and practical appreciation of problems. The canon law of the Church is to be understood in the light of the theological and ecclesiological principles laid down by the Second Vatican Council and other relevant Church documents. A comparative study of CCEO and CIC with practical application to the interritual, ecumenical and multireligious context of India will be greatly emphasised. The method of teaching involves Lectures, Discussions, case studies, tutorials and seminars. An innovative feature of the teaching method is the cooperative teaching where two or more teachers jointly offer a course and interact with the students in the same class. This is particularly useful for multi-disciplinary analysis of legal problems. There is a high degree of interaction between the students and the teachers in the class room. This is largely facilitated by the fact that before the commencement of the semester, each student is given a set of reading material containing the course outline, teaching plan, reading lists and a fairly large volume of study materials in respect of each course. They consist of case studies, judicial decisions, articles, excerpts from reports etc. With this material in the hands of the students in advance, they are expected to come prepared for the class and actively participate in the class discussions. Written assignments, tutorial courses, seminars and a scientifically prepared dissertation are envisaged so as to combines library research with case studies and legal writing. They are valuable instruments for self-study under supervision
