Universität Wien

030619 KU International Legal English I (2019W)

3.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 3 - Rechtswissenschaften
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Wednesday 09.10. 14:15 - 15:45 Seminarraum SEM34 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum, 3.OG (Kickoff Class)
  • Wednesday 16.10. 14:15 - 15:45 Seminarraum SEM34 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum, 3.OG
  • Wednesday 23.10. 14:15 - 15:45 Seminarraum SEM34 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum, 3.OG
  • Wednesday 30.10. 14:15 - 15:45 Seminarraum SEM34 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum, 3.OG
  • Wednesday 06.11. 14:15 - 15:45 Seminarraum SEM34 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum, 3.OG
  • Wednesday 13.11. 14:15 - 15:45 Seminarraum SEM34 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum, 3.OG
  • Wednesday 20.11. 14:15 - 15:45 Seminarraum SEM34 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum, 3.OG
  • Wednesday 27.11. 14:15 - 15:45 Seminarraum SEM34 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum, 3.OG
  • Wednesday 04.12. 14:15 - 15:45 Seminarraum SEM34 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum, 3.OG
  • Wednesday 11.12. 14:15 - 15:45 Seminarraum SEM34 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum, 3.OG
  • Wednesday 08.01. 14:15 - 15:45 Seminarraum SEM34 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum, 3.OG
  • Wednesday 15.01. 14:15 - 15:45 Seminarraum SEM34 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum, 3.OG
  • Wednesday 22.01. 14:15 - 15:45 Seminarraum SEM34 Schottenbastei 10-16, Juridicum, 3.OG

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The course will develop your competence to work confidently in English in a legal context by improving skills in the four language areas - reading and writing, speaking and listening (Level C1).
Core of the course is the international legal English programme developed by Cambridge University; the main (obligatory) textbook is Cambridge’s International Legal English* (2nd edition); with additional material drawn from online sources such as the guardian law pages, law reports, professional websites, etc. Video and audio are also used.
Although based on Common law and commercial law, the concepts are found in many legal systems. Topics and texts include: company law, contract, sale of goods, employment, real and intellectual property, and competition law. However, it should be emphasised that this is not a course in substantive law - simply that these subject areas provide a real-world context for language acquisition.
Teaching is in a participative, tutorial format offering opportunities to use the skills that you have learned in teaching sessions. Many classes begin with a small group discussion of a current legal issue. Weekly preparation and exercises, lasting 90 mins. are an integral part of the course. Programme leader is David Goulden, a Cambridge-qualified barrister, and an experienced language trainer.

Assessment and permitted materials

Reading: improving your ability to read and understand legal texts such as legal journals, legislation, correspondence etc
Writing: to improve your ability to write common legal texts like letters and memoranda
Listening: to increase your understanding of spoken English when it is used to speak about legal topics in client meetings, conferences, seminars etc
Speaking: developing your confidence in explaining and discussing legal topics in English.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

To be eligible for the assessment participants must attend 10 of the 12 classes and complete all weekly homework exercises via Moodle. The assessment will be as follows:
Reading (40mins) / Listening (35 mins). Resits are not possible. There will also be an in-course writing exercise which constitutes one third of the Assessment score.

Examination topics

The areas to be tested are described as:
Reading: semantic precision, grammatical and lexical knowledge, awareness of text structure and understanding gist, detail, opinion and information
Listening: understanding gist, detail, function, opinion and inference; also retrieving specific information, identifying speakers and topics; recognising attitude.
Writing: concise expression, accuracy of language, organisation of content and relevance.

Reading list

Cambridge’s International Legal English* (2nd edition). We have bought a bulk supply, copies will be available at the first class (at lower prices than from Amazon !)

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Fr 06.05.2022 00:15