Talking, presenting arguments, debating

3 questions for Patricia Wiater

Patricia Wiater is Chair of Public Law, Public International Law and Human Rights at FAU. She was awarded the Bavarian Prize for Excellence in Teaching in 2023 for her dedication and her teaching methods, which have a practical focus.

Prof. Wiater, what are you currently researching?

My current research is investigating questions related to constitutional, international and European law and I am focusing on fundamental and human rights. I am interested in often marginal issues that go beyond the conventional protection that these rights provide. Most recently, I have been looking into the ownership of rights of non-human entities such as companies and the environment and also human rights in the sports sector.

Why are you interested in this topic?

All these issues are very important from a socio-political viewpoint and I find that fascinating.

What characterizes good teaching and why are you so committed to this cause?

Good teaching is based on providing support to students with their learning process and encouraging them to take a more active approach. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of really being able to understand legal assessments and legal argumentation strategies instead of simply memorizing them in a profession that is as application-oriented and has such socio-political relevance as law does. Our students must learn how to talk, present arguments and debate constructively as well as understand the political and social implications of legal solutions. In my teaching, I would like to give them the opportunity to develop these skills.

Prof. Dr. Dr. Patricia Wiater completed a Franco-German doctoral degree in law, focusing on the European protection of human rights at the universities of Strasbourg and Leipzig in 2008. In 2012, she completed her second doctoral degree at the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Freiburg in political sciences. In 2019, she obtained her habilitation from the Faculty of Law of LMU Munich. Patricia Wiater was appointed as a professor at FAU in 2018 and became Chair of Public Law, Public International Law and Human Rights in 2021. She is co-editor of the magazine “Didaktik der Rechtswissenschaft”.

 

This article is part of the FAU Magazin

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