Social Sciences - Introduction to Law 3200-M-NS-PR
The aim of the course is to acquaint students with the most important issues in the theory and practice of law.
In the course, basic legal concepts are discussed, such as: the essence and functions of the law; legal norms and regulations; principles of the law;
sources of the law; the system of the law; interpretation of the law; the validity, observance and application of the law; selected institutions of the
law; the specificity of selected branches of the law.
The course serves as an introduction to legal translation (translation of domestic law texts, translation of EU and international law texts) and preparation for the profession of a sworn translator (cooperation with the judiciary, court proceedings). The aim of the course is to prepare in terms
of specialist knowledge for translating written texts of a specific profile in the field of law and for interpreting in court and out-of-court proceedings, as
well as to broaden knowledge of legal and social institutions.
Students deepen their knowledge of law and specialised terminology, analyse simple legal and jurisprudential texts, identify legal problems on
the basis of various factual situations and assign them to specific fields of law, search for and organise information on law and legal science. As part of the practical module in court (6h), students attend court hearings and participate in workshop classes with judges who rule on civil and criminal cases. The workshop classes are conducted with a view to the interpreter's/translator's participation in the (civil/criminal) trial.
Student workload:
30 contact hours, including 6 hours in court;
45 hours - preparation for exam and class;
Total 75 hours = 3 ECTS
.
KEY CONTENTS:
- Law - definition and characteristics. Law as a social science; - Hierarchy of sources of law in Poland; - Law as a linguistic phenomenon; Legislators' language vs. Lawyers' language; - Provision vs. norm of law; Normative act: nature and internal structure on the example of a legal act. - Principles of law; - System of law; - Interpretation of law; - Legal relations;- Observance of law; - Application of law; - Administration of justice. - Logic and the law; - Civil/criminal procedure. - The system of ordinary courts; - Natural persons and legal persons. - Legal capacity and capacity to act. - Polish law and European law; - Simulation of a civil/criminal trial (mock trial); - Participation of an interpreter/translator in a trial.
Type of course
Mode
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
IN TERMS OF KNOWLEDGE:
Student
- has a basic knowledge of the foundations of legal sciences;
- masters a range of basic specialist vocabulary in the science and practice
of law and uses it appropriately;
- appropriately qualifies the type of legal text,
- recognizes legal norms on the basis of linguistic features of legal texts;
- is familiar with basic legal concepts, institutions and principles of
interpretation and application of law;
- knows the basic principles of searching for relevant legal acts regulating
particular types of social and economic relations.
IN TERMS OF SKILLS:
Students are able to:
- use databases of legal acts, search for legal acts, correctly identify and
classify them;
- correctly use selected legal norms and rules in order to solve a specific
task concerning the law;
- cite legal acts correctly.
IN TERMS OF SOCIAL COMPETENCE:
- understands the essence of social science,
- has acquired the basic individual ability to use normative acts, find
specific provisions and derive legal norms from them,
- is able to carry out independent reflection on issues related to the
functioning of public authority, principles of the legal system, ways of
understanding the law and its institutions,
- is a more conscious observer/participant of social and public phenomena.
Assessment criteria
The course concludes with a written examination. Attendance at classes (max. 3 absences) is a prerequisite for taking the examination.
Examination
Assessment criteria: 100-90% - grade very good, 89-80% good plus, 79-70% good, 69-60% satisfactory plus, 59-51% satisfactory, 50-0% fail.
Terms and conditions of the resit examination - written examination.
Bibliography
Compulsory reading:
• Chauvin T., Stawecki T., Winczorek P., 2018, Wstęp do prawoznawstwa,
Warszawa: C.H. Beck.
• Jabłońska-Bonca J., 2004, Wprowadzenie do prawa. Introduction to law,
Warszawa: LexisNexis (selected parts).
• Wronkowska S., 2003, Podstawowe pojęcia prawa i prawoznawstwa,
Poznań: Ars boni et Aequi (wybrane części).
• Jopek-Bosiacka A., 2019, Teoretycznoprawne i logiczne uwarunkowania
przekładu prawnego, Warszawa: Wolters Kluwer (selected parts).
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: