MVV012468K Critical Thinking for Lawyers

Faculty of Law
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
doc. JUDr. Tomáš Sobek, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. JUDr. Tomáš Sobek, Ph.D.
Department of Legal Theory – Faculty of Law
Contact Person: Tereza Buchalová
Supplier department: Department of Legal Theory – Faculty of Law
Prerequisites
The only requirements are the knowledge of English and the ability to think critically.
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 25 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/25, only registered: 91/25
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
  • Law (programme PrF, PR_)
  • Law (programme PrF, M-PPV)
Course objectives
Main objectives can be summarized as follows:
- to map the recent approaches to legal thinking, namely those of critical nature
- to analyze and understand the methodology of legal realism
- to analyze and understand the methodology of legal marxism
- to analyze and understand the methodology of law and economics
- to discuss the relations of law and external influences like economics, politics, technology etc.
- to discuss recent problems in continental and American judiciary
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:
understand purpose and role of critical legal thinking in recent jurisprudence
critically assess concepts of legal realism
critically assess concepts of legal marxism
critically assess concepts of CLS (critical legal studies)
critically assess concepts of law and economic
critically assess concepts of legal moralism
Syllabus
  • - introduction, method, assignments
  • - legal marxism
  • - law and economics
  • - legal realism
  • - critical legal studies
  • - legal moralism
  • - information critique of law
  • - critique of legal language
  • - legal anarchism
  • - workshops dedicated to recent issues of critical legal thinking
Literature
  • Doplňující texty ke studiu budou poskytnuty prostřednictvím IS
  • ALEXY, Robert. A theory of legal argumentation : the theory of rational discourse as theory of legal justification. Translated by Neil MacCormick - Ruth Adler. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989, xiii, 323. ISBN 0198255039. info
  • DWORKIN, Ronald M. Law's empire. London: Fontana Press, 1986, 470 s. ISBN 0-00-686028-1. info
  • DWORKIN, Ronald M. Taking rights seriously. 3. print. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1977, xv, 295 s. ISBN 0-674-86710-6. info
Teaching methods
lectures, seminars, e-learning application, workshops with practicing professionals
Assessment methods
credits will be awarded upon successful completion of an in-class closed-bood written test consisting of 2 essays
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2007, Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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