MVV355K Introduction to Contemporary Legal and Political Theories

Faculty of Law
Autumn 2023
Extent and Intensity
0/1/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
doc. JUDr. Tereza Kyselovská, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Łukasz Święcicki, PhD (seminar tutor), doc. JUDr. Tereza Kyselovská, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
doc. JUDr. Tereza Kyselovská, Ph.D.
Faculty of Law
Contact Person: Mgr. Věra Redrupová, B.A.
Supplier department: Faculty of Law
Timetable of Seminar Groups
MVV355K/01: Mon 23. 10. 18:00–19:40 041, Tue 24. 10. 14:00–15:40 041, Wed 25. 10. 16:00–17:40 041, 18:00–19:40 041, Thu 26. 10. 18:00–19:40 041
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 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 24/30, only registered: 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to acquaint students with the main positions, trends and problems of contemporary theory of law and politics through problems and discussion of them. The specific aim is to make students aware of the importance of the issues discussed, to arouse students’ interests through a discussion on the fundamental problems that lie at legal and moral foundations of politics, economy and social life. During the course I will refer to main theories i.e. utilitarianism, liberal egalitarianism, libertarianism, communitarianism, legal positivism, natural law tradition.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course students should be able to:
- know basic assumptions of discussed legal and political theories
- distinguish between particular legal and political theories
- understand the importance of legal and political theories for contemporary public debates.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction to Legal and Political Theories
  • 2. Foundations of Moral Beliefs
  • 3. Liberal Egalitarianism and Communitarianism
  • 4. The Nature of Law: Legal Positivism and Natural Law Theory
  • 5. Libertarianism and the Problem of Paternalism
Literature
  • M. J. Sandel, Justice. What's the Right Thing to do?, New York 2009; P. Curzon, Jurisprudence. Lecture Notes, London 1999. Some short articles will be sent to students during the course.
Teaching methods
Lectures and discussion
Assessment methods
The exam will consist of 5 questions (3 true or false questions, 1 fill-in question, 1 open question). During the exam each student will be required to work individually without consulting other students. The exam will be graded on a pass/fail basis.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught only once.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2022.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/law/autumn2023/MVV355K