SOC047 Legal History in the Middle European Area

Faculty of Law
Spring 2024
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
JUDr. David Kolumber, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Milan Dobeš (seminar tutor)
JUDr. Jan Kabát (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
JUDr. David Kolumber, Ph.D.
Department of the History of the State and Law – Faculty of Law
Contact Person: Zuzana Suchá
Supplier department: Department of the History of the State and Law – Faculty of Law
Timetable
Wed 6. 3. 12:00–13:40 041, 14:00–15:40 041, 16:00–17:40 041, Wed 3. 4. 12:00–13:40 041, 14:00–15:40 041, 16:00–17:40 041, Wed 17. 4. 12:00–13:40 041, 14:00–15:40 041, 16:00–17:40 041, Wed 22. 5. 12:00–13:40 041, 14:00–15:40 041, 16:00–17:40 041
Prerequisites
Knowledge of the English language.
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 15 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/15, only registered: 0/15
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
Central European countries (Austria, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) are linked by a common historical development and key determinants that have influenced their development. A significant part of the present-day Middle-European countries shared a long-standing fate in common state formations, which influenced the development not only of these entities but also of the local legal arrangements. Knowledge of the similarities, parallels and specificities is useful for better orientation in the Central European space and understanding of the many issues that are reflected in current legal regulations and approaches of these states. The course aspires to present the development of the state and law (mainly from a constitutional point of view) in the Central European area, focusing on the period from the 19th to the 20th century and then on the key areas of law, which will be further divided into public law (especially criminal and administrative law) and private law (especially civil, family and labour law). Students will gain a basic overview of Central European states' historical development and legal systems.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
-understand and analyse local specifics of the development of state and law in the Middle-European area,
- comprehend the reflection of political and social impacts on the legal regulation and development of the state and international community through public institutions and relationships between government and citizens,
- orient themselves in a local variation of legal aspects and historical background of the current regulation,
- summarize the historical development of legal order in Central Europe mainly from the 19th to the 21st century,
- compare the congruences and differences in the legal development in Austria, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia,
- identify the reasons for different political and legal development.
Syllabus
  • 1. History of the Middle-European states
  • 2. Constitutional Development of the Middle-European States
  • 3. Selected Aspects of the Public Law Development in the Middle-European States
  • 4. Selected Aspects of the Private Law Development in the Middle-European States
Literature
    recommended literature
  • OLECHOWSKI, Thomas. Introduction to Austrian and European Legal History. Wien: Facultas, 2021. 264 p. ISBN 978-3-9911156-4-9.
  • ROBINSON, O. F., T. D. FERGUS and William M. GORDON. European legal history : sources and institutions. 3rd ed. London: Butterworths, 2000, xvi, 385. ISBN 0406913609. info
  • KIRSCHBAUM, Stanislav J. Central European History and the European Union: The Meaning of Europe. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. 258 p. ISBN 978-0-230-54937-1.
  • KUKLÍK, Jan. Czech law in historical contexts. Prague: Karolinum, 2015. 239 p. ISBN 978-80-246-2860-8.
  • VOJÁČEK, Ladislav, Karel SCHELLE, Jaromír TAUCHEN, Radovan DÁVID, Lenka DOUBRAVOVÁ, Miroslav FRÝDEK, Zdeňka KRÁLÍČKOVÁ, Pavel SALÁK, Renata VESELÁ, Vilém KNOLL and David FALADA. An Introduction to History of Czech Private Law. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2011, 182 pp. Acta Universitatis Brunensis, Juridica No. 391. ISBN 978-80-210-5592-6. info
  • SCHELLE, Karel, Jaromír TAUCHEN, Roman LAMKA, Radovan DÁVID, Andrea SCHELLEOVÁ, Tereza ERÉNYI, Ilona SCHELLEOVÁ and Iva PODHORSKÁ. The Process of Democratization of Law in the Czech Republic (1989 -- 2009). 1st ed. Rincon (USA): The American Institute for Central European Legal Studies, 2009, 204 pp. 1st Edition. ISBN 978-0-615-31580-5. info
Teaching methods
A course is the delivery of a series of lessons. It is designed by synchronous meetings on the matter of Central European legal history.
Assessment methods
Active participation in lessons and the test.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Teacher's information
More pieces of information about the organization of the course and the conditions for its completion can be found in the interactive syllabus.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2017, Autumn 2018, Spring 2023, Autumn 2023, Autumn 2024, Spring 2025.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2024, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/law/spring2024/SOC047