HIA279 Introduction to the Iconography of Legal History

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
prof. PhDr. Mgr. Tomáš Knoz, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Mgr. Tomáš Knoz, Ph.D.
Department of History – Faculty of Arts
Supplier department: Department of History – Faculty of Arts
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: 0/30, only registered: 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to present a view of law and the philosophy of law through visualized forms. It is   a combination of some methods, especially legal-historical, cultural-historical, semiotic and iconological methods. The course will deal with the perception of law in the Middle Ages and in  early modern times, it will try to characterize what is identical for both epochs (longue durée) and what distinguishes them.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course students will: understand and interprete concepts and issues in legal history on the basis of comments on legal symbols, the approaches of semiotics (Eco), iconology (Gombrich) and legal iconography (Kocher); describe of the law and his position in feudal society, the legal mentality in the Middle Ages and the early modern era, the perception of crime, judgement and punishment.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction – literature
  • 2. The law – legal history, subject, methods
  • 3. The law – the legal mentality of the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Age
  • 4. The law – semiotics
  • 5. The law – visualisation, iconography and iconology
  • 6. The law and symbols
  • 7. The law and beauty
  • 8. The law and religion
  • 9. The law and communication in time
  • 10. The law – the ruler and the constitution
  • 11. The law – Saint Ivo and the strengthening of justice
  • 12. The law – crime and punishment
  • 13. The law – criminal misconduct in Kamenice
Literature
  • BURCKHARDT, Jacob Christoph. Úvahy o světových dějinách. Translated by Jiří Loser. Vyd. 2. Olomouc: Votobia, 1996, 263 s. ISBN 80-7198-149-4. info
  • KOCHER, Gernot. Zeichen und Symbole des Rechts : eine historische Ikonographie. München: C.H. Beck, 1992, 200 s. ISBN 3406366856. info
  • ECO, Umberto. Semiotik :Entwurf einer Theorie der Zeichen. 2., korrig. Aufl. München: Wilhelm Fink Verlag, 1991, 439 s. ISBN 3-7705-2323-7. info
  • GUREVIČ, Aron Jakovlevič. Kategorie středověké kultury. Translated by Jaroslav Kolár. 1. vyd. Praha: Mladá fronta, 1978, 286 s. URL info
  • ECO, Umberto. Zeichen: Einführung in einen Begriff und seine Geschichte. 1. Aufl. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Verlag, 1977, 202 s. ISBN 3518008956. info
  • ECO, Umberto. Einführung in die Semiotik. München: Wilhelm Fink Verlag, 1972. ISBN 3-7705-0633-2. info
Teaching methods
seminary
Assessment methods
credit
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught: every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2023.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2025/HIA279