N_FLA Fundamentals of Legal Argumentation

University of Finance and Administration
Summer 2018
Extent and Intensity
1/1. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
JUDr. Petr Čechák, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
prof. Dr. et Dr. Vladimír Robert Matas, MA, CSc. (seminar tutor)
PhDr. Ingrid Vichnarová (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
JUDr. Petr Čechák, Ph.D.
Department of Law – Departments – University of Finance and Administration
Contact Person: Olga Soušková
Timetable of Seminar Groups
N_FLA/cKKV: each odd Tuesday 12:15–12:59 KV308, each odd Tuesday 13:00–13:45 KV308, I. Vichnarová
N_FLA/cKPPPH: each even Friday 12:15–12:59 S14, each even Friday 13:00–13:45 S14, V. Matas
N_FLA/pKKV: each odd Tuesday 10:30–11:14 KV308, each odd Tuesday 11:15–12:00 KV308, I. Vichnarová
N_FLA/pKPPPH: each even Friday 10:30–11:14 S14, each even Friday 11:15–12:00 S14, V. Matas
N_FLA/vBSKPH: Fri 6. 4. 14:00–15:30 S24, Sat 21. 4. 9:45–11:15 S24, 11:30–13:00 S24, V. Matas
N_FLA/vKPPKV: Fri 16. 2. 15:45–17:15 KV310, 17:30–19:00 KV310, Fri 16. 3. 17:30–19:00 KV301, I. Vichnarová
N_FLA/vPPPVPH: Fri 20. 4. 17:30–19:00 S14, 19:15–20:45 S14, Fri 27. 4. 19:15–20:45 S14, P. Čechák
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this course.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is offered to students of any study field.
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to make students familiar with the very concept of argumentation, functions of argumentation in relation to law and different methods of argumentation. The main objective of the course is to develop and cultivate practical skills directly related to legal argumentation and application of law. Particular argumentation methods should be just briefly outlined. The main emphasis of the course should be put on teaching students to use legal argumentation in practice. The course will be terminated by an academic essay dealing with some questions concerning either the theory or the practice of legal argumentation based on the topics presented in the course. By means of such an essay students should prove their concerning understanding. A satisfactory essay will be graded by a credit.
Syllabus
  • (1) The Outline of a Theory of Legal Argumentation and the Concept of Law
  • (2) Legal Argument Template
  • (3) Problem of the Justification of Legal Decisions and the Topic Theory
  • (4) Correctness of Normative Statements and the Morality of Law
  • (5) General Practical Discourse
  • (6) Legal Discourse as a Special Case
  • (7) Perception and Persuasion in Legal Argumentation
  • (8) Informal vs. Formal Fallacies and Cognitive Biases
  • (9) The Correspondence Theory of Truth
  • (10) Analogy vs. Argument from the Contrary (argumentum e contrario)
  • (11) Argument from a Yet Stronger Reason (argumentum a fortiori) and Argument from Authority or an Appeal to Authority (argumentum ad verecundiam)
  • (12) Argument (Reduction) to Absurdity (argumentum ad absurdum) and Proof by Contradiction
Literature
    recommended literature
  • ALEXY, R. A theory of legal argumentation: the theory of rational discourse as theory of legal justification. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010, ISBN-13: 978-0199584222
    not specified
  • Fuller, Lon L.: The Morality of Law. Yale University Press, 262 p., 1977
  • Bertea, Stefano: Certainty, Reasonableness and Argumentation in Law. Argumentation, Volume 18, Issue 4, pp. 465–478, January 2004
  • Feteris, Eveline: The Study of Legal Argumentation in Argumentation Theory and Legal Theory: Approaches and Developments. COGENCY Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 11-32, Summer 2011
  • David, Marian: The Correspondence Theory of Truth. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2015.
  • Hart, Herbert L. A.: The Concept of Law. Clarendon Press. Oxford. Oxford University Press; 315 p., 1961
  • White, Nancy J.: Simple Steps: Teaching Legal Argumentation Using the Legal Argument Template. Journal of Legal Studies in Business, pp. 1-43, 2010
  • Radbruch, Gustav: Statutory Lawlessness and Supra-Statutory Law. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, Vol. 26, No. 1 (2006), pp. 1–11
  • Bernall, Carlos: Legal Argumentation and the Normativity of Legal Norms. COGENCY Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 53-66, Summer 2011
  • Clements, Cory S.: Perception and Persuasion in Legal Argumentation: Using Informal Fallacies and Cognitive Biases to Win the War of Words. BYU L. Rev. 319, 2013
  • Bertea, Stefano: Legal Argumentation Theory and the Concept of Law. F.H. van Eemeren, et al. (eds.), Anyone Who Has a View. Theoretical Contributions to the Study of Argumentation, Dordrecht: Kluwer, pp. 213-226, 2003
Teaching methods
Lectures and seminars in full-time study; tutorials in part-time study; compulsory seminar participation is 75% in full-time study, compulsory tutorial participation is 50% in part-time study. Students who fail to meet the mandatory level of participation may be given during the semester additional study obligations (to the extent that will demonstrate academic achievement and acquired competencies necessary for successful completion of course).
Assessment methods
The course is terminated by credit awarded based proceeding of an academic essay .
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: 6 hodin KS/semestr.
The course is also listed under the following terms Summer 2017, Summer 2019, Summer 2020, Summer 2021, Summer 2022, Summer 2023, Summer 2024, Summer 2025.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Summer 2018, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.vsfs.cz/course/vsfs/summer2018/N_FLA