Code：G2B40909 / Instructor：HIRONAKA Akira
Course Description
Law is an academic field that students begin to study in earnest for the first time at university, as there are few opportunities to study law before that. As such, the goal of this course is to help students who aspire to study law understand what "law" is and how to study it, thereby making it easier for them to proceed with specialized courses in the future.
In doing so, we would like to convey the meaning of studying law in an easy-to-understand manner while showing how law is actually used in courts.
This course addresses these concepts using familiar and concrete examples; therefore, it is accessible to students who are not majoring in law. Students from other majors are accordingly welcome to participate.
Keywords
Jurisprudence, legal hermeneutics, six basic laws (constitutional law, civil law, criminal law, commercial law,law of civil procedure, law of criminal procedure), legal syllogisms, case law, academic theory, lawyers/attorneys,prosecutors, judges, practical experience
Course Plan
Class 1: Introduction
Textbook Introduction
Class 2: What is law?
Textbook Chapter 1
Class 3: Structure of law
Textbook Chapter 2
Class 4: Application of law (1): Legal syllogisms
Textbook Chapter 3
Class 5: Application of law (2): What is "interpretation"?
Textbook Chapter 4
Class 6: Judicial precedents, theories, and administrative interpretations
Textbook Chapter 5
Class 7: Overview of the fields of law
Textbook Chapter 6
Class 8: Bearers of law
*Including the mid-term exam (tentative)
Class 9: How to study law (1): Investigation and presentation
Textbook Chapter 7
Class 10: How to study law (2): How to read and research precedents
Textbook Chapter 8
Class 11: What is the scope of judicial precedents?
Textbook Chapter 9
Class 12: Thinking about the limits of interpretation
Textbook Chapter 10
Class 13: Practical exercises (1)
Textbook Chapter 11
Class 14: Practical exercises (2)
Textbook Chapter 12
Class 15: Summary, course survey
* Final exam
** The first half of the course (ｆrom Class 8) focuses on knowledge input. The second half of the course (from Class 9) focuses on knowledge output. If we are short on time in the first half of the course, the hours may be adjusted with reference to the lesson plan.
