Czech Legal Culture

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JUDr. Bc. Terezie Smejkalová, Ph.D.
Czech Legal Culture
JUDr. Bc. Terezie Smejkalová, Ph.D.
Czech Legal Culture
Info
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Období
podzim 2020
Syllabus and essential information
Přejít
Kapitola obsahuje:
3
Studijní text
3
Web
Učitel doporučuje studovat od 5. 10. 2020 do 8. 1. 2021.
What is culture?
Přejít
Kapitola obsahuje:
4
PDF
1
Studijní text
2
Web
The basics: Constitution and Charter
Přejít
Kapitola obsahuje:
1
Odevzdávárna
2
PDF
1
Studijní text
3
Web
1989: The regime change
Přejít
Kapitola obsahuje:
2
PDF
1
Studijní text
5
Web
Učitel doporučuje studovat od 2. 11. 2020 do 8. 11. 2020.
Historical context: Trial with Milada Horáková
Přejít
Kapitola obsahuje:
1
Odevzdávárna
2
PDF
1
Studijní text
Učitel doporučuje studovat od 9. 11. 2020 do 15. 11. 2020.
Legal authorities I.: Texts (aka Sources of Law)
Přejít
Kapitola obsahuje:
1
Odevzdávárna
3
PDF
2
Studijní text
Učitel doporučuje studovat od 16. 11. 2020 do 22. 11. 2020.
Cases I
Přejít
  • How does the Czech judiciary work?
Kapitola obsahuje:
1
Odevzdávárna
1
PDF
Učitel doporučuje studovat od 23. 11. 2020 do 29. 11. 2020.
Legal authorities II.: People (Judges and Lawyers; ethical standards of their professions)
Přejít
Kapitola obsahuje:
1
Odevzdávárna
1
PDF
1
Studijní text
1
Web
Učitel doporučuje studovat od 30. 11. 2020 do 6. 12. 2020.
Cases II
Přejít
Kapitola obsahuje:
1
Odevzdávárna
2
PDF
Učitel doporučuje studovat od 7. 12. 2020 do 13. 12. 2020.
Legal authorities III. Who writes the laws/legal texts? (Does legal language produce elites? What are the consequences?)
Přejít
Kapitola obsahuje:
1
PDF
Učitel doporučuje studovat od 14. 12. 2020 do 20. 12. 2020.
Assignment presentation
Učitel doporučuje studovat od 4. 1. 2021 do 10. 1. 2021.
Final exam
Přejít
Kapitola obsahuje:
1
Odpovědník
Učitel doporučuje studovat od 11. 1. 2021 do 17. 1. 2021.

Syllabus and essential information



course supervisor: Terezie Smejkalová (terezie.smejkalova@law.muni.cz)

lecturers: Terezie Smejkalová, Markéta Štěpáníková

seminars: Wednesdays 18:00 – 19.40


The course will be taught online via MS Teams. Join the Czech Legal Culture (Fall 2020) team via code: 76hvitm

Instructions on how to join MS Team with a code may be found here. 

Should you need any assistance with joining MS Teams, please have look here.

You must use your Masaryk University identity when accessing the team.

1st class will take place on 7 October 2020 in this online classroom starting 18.00 Brno time. Should you have any problems joining the team, please let me know in time via the email above. Looking forward to seeing you soon.


 

Syllabus



7. 10. Introduction; information on course requirements (attendance, assignments, final exam)

14. 10. What is culture? What is legal culture?

21. 10. The basics (Constitution and Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms)

  • Assignment: Discuss a chosen constitutional issue in the Czech legal system and the legal system of your home country and compare and contrast them.

4. 11. 1989: The regime change

11. 11. Historical context: Trial with Milada Horáková

  • Assignment: Discuss the issue of a chosen political trial in a vulnerable period of your country’s history;  with the trial with Milada Horáková  

18. 11.  Legal authorities I.: Texts (aka Sources of Law)

  • Assignment: Discuss the role of case-law in the Czech legal system and in the legal system of cour home country. Compare and contrast.

25. 11. Cases I: Pl. ÚS 27/09 - Shortening the Term of Office of Chamber of Deputies

  • Assignment: Provide summary of the case.

2. 12. Legal authorities II.: People (Judges and Lawyers; ethical standards of their professions)

  • Assignment: Consider the following situation and discuss the ethical aspects of the behaviour in relation to a profession of a judge (and/or other legal profession). A judge is participating in a party during which they end up dancing on the table. Is such a behaviour acceptable for a judge (other legal profession)? Why? In what circumstances would your answer change? Why? Discuss. 

9. 12.  Cases II:  

I. ÚS 2617/15 - Restriction of Judges' freedom of expression

I. ÚS 3018/14 - Scope of Parliamentary indemnity

  • Assignment: Provide summary of a chosen case.

16. 12. Legal authorities III. Who writes the laws/legal texts? (Does legal language produce elites? What are the consequences?)

6. 1. Assignment presentation

13. 1. Final exam

Course requirements
  • Course participation (10 seminars minimum incl. assignment presentation + final exam).
  • Grading:
    • at least 4 out of 6  in-course assignments for seminars marked with A or B (cca 2 pages A4, 12pt, single-spacing, deadline at 12:00 on the day of respective seminar) - relevance 40%
    • exam (2 short essays, timed, open-book, in-class - online) - relevance 60% 

How to prepare for a class?


  • Read the materials in the respective chapter of the interactive syllabus.
  • Is there an assignment? Write it and submit it by 12.00 of the day of the respective seminar.
  • Are there any discussion questions in the seminar chapter? Think about them, we will come to them during the seminar.


Where to look for additional sources to complete the assignments?
Přejít
How to write assignments?
Přejít





Where to look for additional sources to complete the assignments?


All sources required for the assignments and the final exam are available in the Information system in Study materials. All the materials available there (cases, regulations, articles, chapters etc.) are considered relevant and required sources. The final exam will be based on information from those sources. 

Library catalogue

MUNI search interface - DISCOVERY

MUNI search interface - KATALOG





How to write assignments?


Your assignments are basically essay topics.

Your task is, therefore, to write a short essay.


How to write an essay?

Have a look HERE.

1. Choose a topic

Your task is easier beacuse you do not really have to choose a whole topic, just a part of it. Your assignments are always quite precise questions that leave you free to choose a subtopic.

How? Do your research first!

Without a research and knowledge of the topic it would be very difficult to write something that makes sense.


For example:

 The first assignment asks you to discuss, compare and contrast a "chosen constitutional issue". To do so, you need to choose a "constitutional issue". Study the related materials, do your own research and pick something regulated by the constitution to write about.

2. Wrtiting

Make sure your text makes sense, start with a very brief introduction to make clear what are you going to write about and in what seqence.

How to write the main body of the essay? Have a look HERE.

Conclude your essay: do not leave your reader in the middle of a thought.

Do not forget to CITE YOUR SOURCES.

How? Use a citation convention of your choice, for example this one: OSCOLA.


3. Revision

  • Make sure your text fulfils what the assignment asks you to.
  • Make sure the text is grammaticaly correct
  • Make sure you cite all the sources correctly. Do not forget to refer to the exact pages of the source you are using.

What is culture?

How to prepare for a class?

  • Read the materials in the respective chapter of the interactive syllabus.
  • Is there an assignment? Write it and submit it by 12.00 of the day of the respective seminar.
  • Are there any discussion questions in the seminar chapter? Think about them, we will come to them during the seminar.

For example:
This class has no assignment but it has a discussion question. 

What is culture?

What is culture?

Various definitions of culture


What is culture?

Culture may be defined as "shared patterns of behaviors and interactions, cognitive constructs, and affective understanding that are learned through a process of socialization. These shared patterns identify the members of a culture group while also distinguishing those of another group."


Source: https://carla.umn.edu/culture/definitions.html

Discuss

Based on the above-mentioned definition of culture, try to explain what makes a legal culture.


What is legal culture?


Nelken Using the Concept of Legal Culture
PDF ke stažení


current_meanings_legal_culture.pdf
PDF ke stažení
use_of_term_legal_culture.pdf
PDF ke stažení



What is legal culture: An anthropological perspective
PDF ke stažení

The basics: Constitution and Charter




Assignment:

Discuss a chosen constitutional issue in Czech legal system and the legal system of your home country 

Constitution



Constitution of the Czech Republic

Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms



An Introduction to the Czech Legal System and Legal Resources Online



PRAKKE, Lucas, Constantijn KORTMANN a Hans van den BRANDHOF. Constitutional law of 15 EU member states / editors Lucas Prakke, Constantijn Kortmann ; by Hans van den Brandhof ... [et al.]. 2004. ISBN 9013012558.

CZECH and contextsPETERLANG2A1 2
PDF ke stažení


Grinc_constitution.pdf
PDF ke stažení

1989: The regime change


What did the legal system looked like before 1989?


David and Brierley. Major Legal Systems in the World Today. Socialist laws pages 179 330
PDF ke stažení


Velvet Revolution
Velvet revolution history
Velvet revolution: day-by-day


What happened after 1989?


Illegality of the Communist Regime
Grudge informer (alternative source)
Fuller: The problem of grudge informer

After 1989
PDF ke stažení


Historical context: Trial with Milada Horáková

KuklikJan 2015 19MayConstitutionOf19 CzechLawInHistoricalC
PDF ke stažení
KuklikJan 2015 1948
PDF ke stažení
Historical context - political trials

Legal authorities I.: Texts (aka Sources of Law)

Assignment

Sources of law


Presentation: https://prezi.com/6xzvt9ntq6j1/sources-of-law/

Case law
Přejít


1. What sources of law are overtly mentioned in the Czech Constitution?

2. What can the judge rely on in their decision-making?

3. What sources may the judge use in their argumentation? Do these sources differ with respect to their "importance"?

4. May the Czech judge base their decision solely on past case law? Why?

5. May the Czech judge base their decision solely on legal regulations (parliamentary statutes ...)?

6. Is the judge obligated to refer to past decisions in case they use them?

6. Can the judge ignore past case law and decide differently from what courts said in similar matters in the past? Why?

Case law

Cases I

Cases I.


How does the Czech judiciary work?


Pl_US_27-09.pdf
PDF ke stažení
Cases I How does the Czech judiciary work?

How does the Czech judiciary work?

Obsah není zveřejněný.

Legal authorities II.: People (Judges and Lawyers; ethical standards of their professions)




An Introduction to the Czech Legal System and Legal Resources Online - Legal professions

Code of conduct as of march 2018
PDF ke stažení

Cases II


Cases II.


1-2617-15.pdf
PDF ke stažení
1-3018-14.pdf
PDF ke stažení

Legal authorities III. Who writes the laws/legal texts? (Does legal language produce elites? What are the consequences?)


Law for elites
PDF ke stažení
Assignment presentation

Assignment presentation

Obsah není zveřejněný.

Final exam