Introduction to Law

Code:

D100

Acronym:

INTD

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Legal Sciences

Instance: 2004/2005 - A

Active?	Yes
Course/CS Responsible:	Law

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
D	203	Official Study Plan - LD	1	-	13	-

Objectives

General legal training, theory and practice, to enable the understanding and intellectual application of the subjects in the degree course.
Fostering individual (or, occasionally, small groups) “creativity”, to encourage the deepening of scientific knowledge and, as far as possible, to motivate research with results tending to be autonomous.

Program

PART I
THE NOTION OF LAW
§1. Defining law
§2. Otherness
§3. The essence of law
§4. Law, ethics, religion
§5. Natural law and positive law

PART II
PROCESSES OF CREATING LAW
§1. The law
§2. Usage and custom
§3. Codification
§4. Negotiated law
§5. The universality of law
§6. Judge, arbitrator and mediator
§7. The process
§8. Jurisprudence

PART III
THE SCIENCE OF LAW
§1. Doctrine
§2. Development of the law
§3. Legal controversies
§4. The formulation of the law

§5. Legal language
§6. The teaching of law
§7. Private law, public law

PART IV
THE LAW AS AN (INTERNAL) SYSTEM OF NORMS AND PRINCIPLES
§1. Legal system and order
§2. The text as reference
§3 Normativity and legal norms
§4. The rules/principles/procedures model

PART V
INTERPRETATION
§1. Need for, significance and tasks of interpretation
§2. The practical and institutional nature of legal interpretation
§3. Hermeneutics
§4. Interpretation and argumentation
§5. Interpretation and application
§6. Interpretation and founding

PART VI
THE FORCE OF THE LAW
§1. Positivism and universalism
§2. The Anglo-American debate
§3. Law and Institution

Main Bibliography

ALEXY, Robert, Theorie der juristischen Argumentation. Die Theorie des rationalen Diskurses als Theorie der juristischen Begründung, Frankfurt am Main, 1978 (there is a Brazilian transl. "Teoria da Argumentacão Jurídica", 2001).
— Theorie der Grundrechte, Frankfurt am Main, 1986 (there is a Castilian transl. "Teoria de los Derechos Fundamentales", C.E.C., Madrid, 1993).
ANDRADE, Manuel de, Ensaio sobre a Teoria da Interpretação das Leis, 2nd ed., Coimbra, 1963.
— Sentido e Valor da Jurisprudência, Coimbra, 1973.
ASCENSÃO, José de Oliveira, O Direito. Introdução e Teoria Geral, 10th ed., Coimbra, 1997.
BOBBIO, Norberto, Contribución a la Teoria del Derecho, ed. A. Ruiz Miguel, Valencia, 1980.
BOURETZ, Pierre, (org.), La Force du droit. PYearrama des débats contemporains, Paris, 1991.
CYEARTILHO, J. J. Gomes, Direito Constitucional e Teoria da Consti-tuição, 4th ed., Coimbra, 2000.
DÉFINIR LE DROIT, in: 10 "Droits. Révue Française de Théorie Juridique", 1, Paris: PUF, 1989.
D’ORS, Álvaro, Nueva Introducción al Estudio del Derecho, Madrid: Civitas, 1999.
¾ Derecho y Sentido Común. Siete Lecciones de Derecho Natural como limite del Derecho Positivo, 2n ed., Madrid: Civitas, 1999.
¾ Una Introducción al Estudio del Derecho, 8th ed., Madrid, 1989.
DWORKIN, Ronald M., Taking Rights Seriously, 4th ed., London, 1984.
— A Matter of Principle, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1985.
— Law's Empire, London: The Fontana Press, 1986, reprinted 1991.
¾ Freedom's Law. The Moral Reading of the American Constitution, Oxford University Press, 1996.
ENGISCH, Karl, Einführung in das juristische Denken (Portguese transl. "Introdução ao pensamento jurídico"), 3rd ed, F.C.G., Lisbon, 1972.
FULLER, Lon L., The Morality of Law, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1964, reprinted 1969.
HART, H. L. A., The Concept of Law, 11th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1981 (there is a Portuguese transl. "O Conceito de Direito", Lisbon, 1986).
JUSTO, A. Santos, Introdução ao Estudo do Direito, Coimbra, 2001.
KAUFMANN/HASSEMER (eds.), Einführung in Rechtsphilosophie und Rechtstheorie der Gegenwart (Castilian transl. "El pensamiento jurídico contem-poráneo"), Madrid, 1992.
HESPANHA, António M., PYearrama Histórico da Cultura Jurídica Europeia, ed. Europa-América, 1997.
KELSEN, Hans, Reine Rechtslehre (Portuguese transl. by J. Baptista Machado, "Teoria Pura do Direito"), 4th ed., Coimbra, 1976.
— Allgemeine Staatslehre (Castilian transl. "Teoria General del Estado"), México, 1979.
— Allgemeine Theorie der Normen (English transl. "General Theory of Norms"), Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1991.
LARENZ, Karl, Methodenlehre der Rechtswissenschaft (Portuguese transl. "Metodologia da Ciência do Direito"), F.C.G., Lisbon, 1978.
MAcCORMICK, Neil, Legal Reasoning and Legal Theory, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1978.
— and WEINBERGER, Ota, Pour une théorie institutionnelle du droit. Nouvelles approches du positivisme juridique, Brussels, 1992.
MACHADO, João Baptista, Prefácio to the work by K. ENGISCH, Einführung in das juristische Denken (Portuguese transl. "Introdução ao pensamento jurídico"), 3rd ed, F.C.G., Lisbon, 1972, pp. vii ff.
— Introdução ao Direito e ao discurso legitimador, Coimbra, 1983.
MIRANDA, Jorge, Manual de Direito Constitucional, I ("Preliminares. O Estado e os sistemas constitucionais"), 6th ed., Coimbra, 1997, II ("Constituição e Inconstitucionalidade"), 3rdª ed., Coimbra, 1991, II (“Constituição”), 4th ed., Coimbra, 2000, III ("Estrutura Constitucional do Estado"), 2nd ed., Coimbra, 1987, IV ("Direitos Fundamentais"), 3rd ed., Coimbra, 2000, and V ("Actividade Constitucional do Estado"), Coimbra 1997.

Complementary Bibliography

Due to the lack of space in the prvious field, part of the information had to be transfered to this one.
NEVES, António Castanheira, Lições de Introdução ao Estudo do Direito, cyclostyled., Coimbra, 1968-1969.
— Sumários de Introdução ao Estudo do Direito, polic., Coimbra, 1978.
— A unidade do sistema jurídico: o seu problema e o seu sentido, in: "Estudos em homenagem ao Prof. Doutor J. J. Teixeira Ribeiro", II, Coimbra, 1979, pp. 72 ff.
— Metodologia Jurídica. Problemas Fundamentais, Coimbra, 1993.
— Entre o "legislador", a "sociedade" e o "juiz" ou entre "sistema", "função" e "problema" — os modelos actualmente alternativos da realização jurisdicional do Direito, in: "Revista de Legislação e Jurisprudência", nos. 3883, 3884 (1998), pp. 290 ff., 322 ff. (to be concluded in the next issues).
PERELMAN, Chaïm, Éthique et Droit (trad. bras. "Ética e Direito"), São Paulo, 1996.
¾ and OLBRECHTS-TYTECA, L., Traité de l' Argumentation. La nouvelle rhétorique, Paris, 1958 (there is a Brazilian transl. "Tratado da Argumentação. A Nova Retórica", S. Paulo, 1996).
QUEIROZ, Cristina, Interpretação Constitucional e Poder Judicial. Sobre a epistemologia da construção constitucional, Coimbra, 2000.
¾ Introdução ao Direito. Textos de Apoio (§§ 6, 7 and 8 of Part II, Part IV and Part V of the Degree Course Plan. 1999/2000 Academic Year), cyclostyled, FDUP, Porto, 2000.
SOARES, Rogério E., Interesse Público, Legalidade e Mérito, Coimbra, 1955.
— Direito Público e Sociedade Técnica, Coimbra, 1969.
TELES, Miguel Galvão, A revolução portuguesa e a teoria das fontes de direito, in: MÁRIO BAPTISTA COELHO (coord.), "Portugal. O sistema político e constitucional 1974-1987", Instituto de Ciências Sociais, Lisbon, 1989, pp. 561 ff.
WIEACKER, Franz, Privatrechtsgeschichte der Neuzeit unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der deutschen Entwicklung (Portuguese transl. "História do Direito Privado Moderno"), F.C.G., Lisbon, 1980.
WROBLEWSKY, Jerzy, Constitución y Teoría General de la Interpretación Jurídica, Castilian transl., Madrid, 1985.

Teaching methods and learning activities

Theoretical classes: Exposition of the contents of the discipline, use of case-studies.
Practical classes: The students have to solve practical exercises

Evaluation Type

Eligibility for exams

Only relevant if the students choose the "continuous assessment", a method that measures up the participation and work made by the students all along the year.

Calculation formula of final grade

Obtained as a result of the rules enforced in FDUP.

Examinations or Special Assignments

Are not considered.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

General Law and Rules enforced in FDUP.

Classification improvement

Obtained as a result of the rules enforced in FDUP.