MVV440K Gothic Justice: Crime, Law and Literature during the Victorian Age

Faculty of Law
Autumn 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/1/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Dr Barbara Hughes-Moore (seminar tutor), JUDr. Bc. Markéta Štěpáníková, Ph.D. (deputy)
Vendula Pucharová (assistant)
Mgr. Tomáš Havlíček (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
JUDr. Bc. Markéta Štěpáníková, Ph.D.
Faculty of Law
Contact Person: Mgr. Věra Redrupová, B.A.
Supplier department: Faculty of Law
Timetable of Seminar Groups
MVV440K/01: Mon 27. 10. 14:00–15:40 S125, Wed 29. 10. 10:00–11:40 041, 14:00–15:40 148, Thu 30. 10. 18:00–19:40 041, Fri 31. 10. 8:00–9:40 S125
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 22/30, only registered: 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 60 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
In this course we will examine the interplay between Gothic fiction and criminal law. We will introduce key themes sourced from Gothic fiction to develop a new framework of exploring ‘the criminal mind’ from the nineteenth century to now. These themes will underpin the course focus on criminal law and legal change from the Victorian era to today. In particular, we will look at how we as students and thinkers of law can deploy Gothic imagery, characters and methods to illuminate, challenge, and reimagine legal problems and dilemmas. We will consider examples of what might be considered ‘Gothic law’ and conduct readings of cases and statutes as Gothic texts. This includes learning about and experimenting with Gothic conventions and methods.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of: key theoretical approaches of law and gothic; gothic conventions and methods; key debates in criminal legal scholarship; and, the relevance of the gothic to legal analysis;
• analyse how (criminal) law affects people differently, depending on their gender and the ways in which (constitutional) law contributes to regulating and representing gender;
• critically analyse criminal law and criminal legal theory within a Gothic framework constitutional law;
• synthesise material from diverse sources and mediums, exercise critical judgment and discuss the merits between particular arguments;
• write for and present to different audiences;
• write and speak with care and precision in the analysis of the law and theory within this area of law.
Syllabus
  • Genre, Crime and the Gothic
  • The Ghoul of Law: Law, Psychoanalysis and the Second Self
  • Doubles, Doppelgängers & other Dangerous Things: (Re)Creating the Gothic Criminal
  • The Monster in the Mirror: Legal and Literary Hauntings
  • Gothicising the Law
Literature
  • See Course Learning Materials/Interactive Syllabus for full details.
Teaching methods
The seminars will be divided into:
• Short brief lectures by the academic team to deliver key content. PowerPoint slides will be used and these will be made available.
• Small group and class-wide discussions in response to seminar questions, which will be circulated in advance.
• Participatory activities (such as presentations, poster-making, crafting arguments for a mock adversarial trial).
Assessment methods
The majority of class time will require active student participation. For each seminar, the essential and recommended readings are listed directly within the relevant seminar section in the interactive syllabus.
The course will be assessed through a portfolio of 2 assessments:
• A 5 minute presentation during the final seminar (worth 40% of final mark)
• After the final seminar, students must themselves create a short ‘Gothic work’ which deals with a legal theme. ‘Work’ is broadly defined and can take the form of a short essay, a poem, a TikTok video, a poster, etc. Students are encouraged to be as creative as they wish, and to draw on skills and interests they may already have (e.g. design, dance, programming). The piece must be submitted along with a 500 word written explanation of how and why the student has linked law and Gothic. The important thing is the incorporation of Gothic imagery and a clear link made to law (worth 60% of the final mark).
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught only once.
General note: The course is designed for both physical and online learning.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/law/autumn2025/MVV440K