Introduction to Legal Science 2200-1P001S
Introduction to Jurisprudence, taught at law faculties, is designed to prepare law students for the further stages of their legal education. The principal subject of the course is the theory of law, that is, a systematically organised set of general propositions concerning law, its creation, application, and observance.
The course addresses, at a level appropriate to students’ needs, the study of the formal aspects of law, the principles governing the making of legal provisions, the rules for interpreting legal texts, the concept of the legal system, and issues surrounding the binding force of law. It also introduces the relationship between law and other systems of social norms, the institutions of the state, and key topics within the philosophy of law.
The core content is delivered through lectures and practical classes. Both lectures and practical classes in Introduction to Jurisprudence have been adapted to meet the needs of students who will become practising lawyers and embark upon their professional careers during the second decade of the 21st century. For this reason, attention is given to new ideas and contemporary developments in the broad field of legal operation, such as the coexistence of national and European law, the growing significance of legal interpretation in practice, the ethics of legal professions, and alternative methods of legal dispute resolution.
The lectures aim to provide an introduction to general knowledge of law, to place law within the broader context of other academic disciplines, to clarify the meaning of legal language concepts, and to present the phenomena of law and the methodology of legal science. They also highlight the practical aspects of law’s functioning: its creation, application, and enforcement.
The practical classes are dedicated to the hands-on study of legal concepts and structures encountered in legal practice. Instructors, alongside coursebooks, utilise texts of normative acts and judicial decisions, teaching students to analyse and understand such texts independently. A crucial element of the classes is workshop-based training aimed at developing the ability to read statutory texts, to identify various types of legal provisions, and to recognise the components of legal norms.
Type of course
Mode
Course coordinators
Term 2025Z: | Term 2024Z: |
Learning outcomes
Knowledge:
The student is familiar with basic legal terminology related to the theory of law and dogmatic legal sciences.
The student understands the main decision-making processes within the state, such as the creation and application of law.
The student grasps the distinction between natural language and the specialised language of law and legal professionals.
The student is aware of the conditions under which law is binding.
The student knows the fundamental concepts of legal discourse, elementary theoretical concepts, and key legal institutions.
Skills:
The student is able to analyse the texts of normative acts, recognise their structure, and identify different types of legal provisions.
The student is able to formulate specific behavioural norms based on legal provisions.
The student can explain the process of legal interpretation and indicate the directives used to guide this interpretation.
The student is capable of analysing normative acts at a basic level.
Social Competences:
The student is able to express their own position on issues concerning the foundations of legal sciences and legal culture.
The student is able to reconstruct arguments presented in legal debates and disputes.
The student is able to construct and articulate their own arguments in legal discussions.
Assessment criteria
The course concludes with a written examination assessing the theoretical knowledge acquired, as well as the students’ ability to analyse normative legal texts.
Attendance at lectures is not compulsory.
Attendance at practical classes, however, is subject to monitoring. The number of absences may affect the student's ability to successfully complete the course. Instructors will regularly assess students’ knowledge and preparation for each class and will conduct at least one written in-class test.
Additionally, a condition for passing the practical classes is the submission of an essay (between four and eight pages of standard typed text) by the given deadline. Students will choose one of the proposed topics, each relating to issues covered in one of the following key readings:
L. Fuller - Moralność prawa
H. Hart - Pojęcie prawa
L. Petrażycki - O pobudkach postępowania i O istocie moralności i prawa
Ch. Perelman - Logika prawnicza: nowa retoryka
G. Radbruch – Filozofia prawa
P. Rosanvallon - Dobre rządy
The essay will be assessed on a points basis. The points awarded will contribute 15% towards the final course grade, acting as an additional bonus. The essay mark cannot, however, by itself determine whether a pass or fail is awarded in the course; instead, in the event of a passing grade, the essay score may serve to raise the final result.
Bibliography
Mandatory reading:
T. Chauvin, T. Stawecki, P. Winczorek, Wstęp do prawoznawstwa, najnowsze wydanie
Supplementary readings:
K. Kaleta, A. Kotowski, Podstawy prawoznawstwa, Warszawa 2019;
L. Morawski, Wstęp do prawoznawstwa, Toruń 2016;
R. Sarkowicz, J. Stelmach, Teoria prawa, Kraków 2001;
S. Wronkowska, Z Ziembiński, Zarys teorii prawa, Poznań 2001.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: