Philosophy of Law and Legal Methodology II

Code:

DO406 II

Acronym:

FDM II

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Philosophy

Instance: 2024/2025 - 2S (since 10-02-2025 to 31-07-2025)

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
LDB	23	Novo Plano Oficial do ano letivo 2016	4	-	6	-

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

Students must:
a) Develop the ability to interpret philosophical texts;
b) Be able to distinguish different hermeneutics, in particular distinguishing between preferred literary genres within the scope of legal discourse and philosophical discourse;
c) Be able to formulate the legal problematization in a philosophical language, and the philosophical conceptualization in a legal problematization.
d) Know in some depth some central texts of the Western philosophical-political canon.
e) Critically discuss the aforementioned texts and topics covered in them.

Learning outcomes and competences

Fulfillment of the objectives of the curricular unit.

Working method

Presencial

Program

Part I – Brief introduction to interpretation
1. Theological interpretation
2. Legal interpretation
3. Philosophical interpretation

Part II – Reading some legal-political-philosophical texts (excerpts)
1. Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy
2. Machiavelli, The Prince
3. Beccaria, On Crimes an Punishments
4. Hegel, Elements of the Philosophy of Right
5. Savigny, Of the Vocation of Our Age for Legislation and Jurisprudence
6. Schmitt, Political Theology
7. Horkheimer/ Adorno, Dialectic of the Enlightenment
8. Beck, Risc Society: Towards a New Modernity
9. Foucault, Discipline and Punish
10. Agamben, Homo Sacer: sovereign power and bare life
11. Derrida, Force of Law
12. Levinas, Totality and Infinity

Mandatory literature

Nicolau Maquiavel; O^príncipe. ISBN: 972-1-02785-5
Friedrich Carl von Savigny; Vom Beruf unserer Zeit für Gesetzgebung und Rechtswissenschaft , Mohr und Zimmer, 1814
René Descartes; Meditações sobre a Filosofia Primeira, Edições70, 2024
Hegel; Princípios de Filosofia do Direito, 4.ª ed., Guimarães, 1990
Carl Schmitt; Politische Theologie, Duncker & Humblot, 1970
Max Horkheimer, Theodor W. Adorno; Dialética do esclarecimento : fragmentos filosóficos, Zahar, 1985
Michel Foucault; Vigiar e Punir, Almedina, 2018
Giorgio Agamben; O Poder Soberano e a Vida Nua. Homo Sacer, Presença, 1998
Jacques Derrida; Força de lei. ISBN: 972-610-726-1
Emmanuel Levinas; Totalidade e infinito. ISBN: 978-972-44-1374-7
Beccaria , Cesare; Dos delitos e das penas. ISBN: 972-31-0816-X
Ulrich Beck; Sociedade de risco: rumo a uma outro modernidade, EDitora 34 (São Paulo), 2010

Teaching methods and learning activities

After the historical introduction to the chosen philosophical texts, the debate on the central topics covered in them follows.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Participação presencial	25,00
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	25,00
Teste	50,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	1,00
Estudo autónomo	71,00
Frequência das aulas	70,00
Trabalho escrito	20,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Mandatory attendance for students enrolled in the distributed assessment system.

Calculation formula of final grade

Written work (25%), discussion of philosophical topics during the classes (25%) and final test (50%).