MP113Zk Theory of Law I

Faculty of Law
Autumn 2024
Extent and Intensity
2/2/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Taught in person.
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Ing. John Altair Gealfow, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. JUDr. Martin Hapla, Ph.D. (lecturer)
JUDr. Lukáš Hlouch, Ph.D. (lecturer)
JUDr. Michal Malaník, Ph.D. (lecturer)
prof. JUDr. Radim Polčák, Ph.D. (lecturer)
JUDr. Bc. Terezie Smejkalová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. JUDr. Mgr. Martin Škop, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Bc. Linda Tvrdíková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
JUDr. PhDr. Jakub Valc, Ph.D., LL.M. (lecturer)
prof. JUDr. PhDr. Miloš Večeřa, CSc. (lecturer)
Mgr. Michal Vosinek (lecturer)
JUDr. Michal Malaník, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
JUDr. Bc. Terezie Smejkalová, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
doc. JUDr. Mgr. Martin Škop, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Dennis Wassouf (seminar tutor)
JUDr. Bc. Markéta Štěpáníková, Ph.D. (assistant)
Guaranteed by
doc. JUDr. Mgr. Martin Škop, Ph.D.
Department of Legal Theory – Faculty of Law
Contact Person: Tereza Buchalová
Supplier department: Department of Legal Theory – Faculty of Law
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
  • Law (programme PrF, PR_) (2)
  • Law (programme PrF, M-PPV) (2)
Course objectives
The course Theory of Law I (Concepts and Structure) leads students to understand the system of current positive law, the organizing mechanisms and rules in the legal system, and the ability to understand and apply the concepts on which the legal system (legal order) is built. The course offers general (meta) premises, schemes and rules representing the so-called lex generalis to other legal disciplines so that they can define and define their conceptual apparatus and structural context as lex specialis.
Learning outcomes
After successful completion of the course: understands legal concepts mutual to the legal system, institutes and principles; interprets legal regulations; analyzes the legal system and its functions; categorizes the body of knowledge necessary for the study of positive legal subjects; uses general legal terminology; masters the basics of legal thinking and working with legal texts.
Syllabus
  • Concept, nature and function of law, the system of law, the system of legal science. Sources of law. Legal norm, concept, structure and elements. Classification of legal norms and their characteristics. The applicability of legal norms. Interpretation of law. Forms of implementation of legal norms, the concept of the legal relation. Legal facts as prerequisites for a legal relation. Subjects, objects and content of a legal relationship. Application of law. Legal responsibility. The rule of law as an expression of the relationship between the state and law. The main methodological approaches to law. The operation of law in society, law and values, and the legitimacy of law.
Literature
    required literature
  • HARVÁNEK, Jaromír. Právní teorie (Legal theory). 1st ed. Plzeň: Vydavatelství a nakladatelství Aleš Čeněk, s.r.o., 2013. 439 pp. Právo. ISBN 978-80-7380-458-9. info
  • Průvodce v interaktivní osnově.
Teaching methods
Teaching/Learning takes the form of lectures and seminars. Lectures emphasize the theoretical preparation of students. Lectures are followed by seminar exercises focused on the practical application of the acquired knowledge, including understanding fundamental categories, relationships and legal thinking. In the seminar groups, students will solve model situations and discuss the possibilities of applying theoretical and meta-concepts to practical examples (including court decisions). Seminar classes deepen the learning: understanding the material by further explanation and searching for the meaning of particular divisions or limitations necessary for law. It serves to enable learners to come to an understanding of the various parts of legal theory through their reflections and by discovering the multiple elements of law. This is also done by analyzing some court decisions (in particular, finding out why the court decided in a specific way and the meaning of the decision) and solving practical (concrete; model) examples.
Self-study and study of the required literature are also part of the teaching methods.
Assessment methods
A condition for access to the exam is (in addition to attending the mandatory seminars) the preparation of a seminar paper analyzing a specific theoretical and legal problem in a judicial decision of the Supreme Court, the Supreme Administrative Court or the Constitutional Court, or explaining the solution of a "practical" case. A seminar paper of 1,600 - 2,000 characters (including spaces) will focus only on the theoretical legal problem. It will completely ignore the facts (except where necessary for the theoretical analysis, e.g. in the case of evidence). Students may only draw on a pre-given list of admissible judicial decisions. If it is a practical solution, they will concentrate on explaining the procedure and reasons for the particular solution. The seminar paper aims to prepare learners for the essay, which is part of the examination and tests their ability to apply theoretical terms and concepts independently. The objectives thus focus on understanding, application, analysis and evaluation: The student should demonstrate the use of legal theory concepts, describe concepts and elements, identify the place of features in the systematics of legal thinking, express legal theory concepts and communicate the content of ideas in their own words; demonstrate legal theory concepts through practical examples (court decisions), interpret concepts, generalize knowledge from examples, describe the relationships between concepts and apply them to solve examples; Identify relationships between legal theory concepts, analyze and identify connections, categorize areas of legal theory and discuss terms and concepts using a selected example (court decision); assess the correctness of the application of theoretical concepts, compare the practical outcome with the theoretical definition and justify any deviations and correspondences. The following condition for access to the exam is to pass a simple machine-corrected test consisting of five questions (any answer can be correct. It is necessary to pass 60%). The test aims to determine whether the student remembers the legal theory terms and concepts of legal theory and can define the terms used, list their elements and terms and identify their characteristics.

The examination consists of a test of theoretical knowledge and an essay (thesis). The first part (the test of theoretical knowledge) consists of answering five open questions, i.e. questions that must be answered in one sentence, not in one sentence, but in a logically coherent explanation that relates exclusively to the questions asked. The answer must not only be factually correct but must also make logical and linguistic sense. It is necessary to exhaust the question, including its sub-questions (answering them is part of the assessment). The aim is to determine the ability to remember, understand and apply the content of the legal theory discussed. For preparation for the form of this part of the examination, serve discussion at seminars and answer the questions asked there.

The second part focuses on writing an essay, the essence of which is a theoretical definition of selected legal concepts, institutes or problems, using exclusively expert sources. The aim is to determine the students' ability to apply, analyse and evaluate theoretical concepts in practical contexts. Seminar papers are mainly used to prepare for this part of the examination.

The length of the test is 20 minutes. Each question can be scored 0-4 points. The essay is 45 minutes for a maximum of 30 points. The final grade will be the sum of the points obtained in both parts. (50-47 A; 46-43 B; 42-39 C; 38-35 D; 34-30 E; 29-0 F)
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses

Zobrazit další předměty

The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2005, Autumn 2006, Autumn 2007, Autumn 2008, Autumn 2009, Autumn 2010, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2012, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2014, Autumn 2015, Autumn 2016, Autumn 2017, Autumn 2018, Autumn 2019, Autumn 2020, Autumn 2021, Autumn 2022, Autumn 2023.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2024, recent)
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