Social sciences and humanities
Subject: LEGAL ENGLISH (A.A. 2024/2025)
single-cycle master degrees (5 years) in LAW
| Course year | 5 |
|---|---|
| CFU | 6 |
| Teaching units |
Unit Inglese giuridico
Training activities in similar subject fields or in fields integrating the basic and distinctive ones, also relating to context cultures and interdisciplinary training (lesson)
|
| Exam type | oral |
| Evaluation | final vote |
| Teaching language | Italiano |
Teachers
Overview
The course promotes the enhancing of individual linguistic abilities concerning the use of the English language pertaining to legal English. The aim is to prepare the students of the Laurea Magistrale in Giurisprudenza in view of the knowledge and linguistic abilities required of them from a professional point of view. Attention will be paid to the improvement of all four language abilities: reading, writing, listening, and speaking with a view to increasing both their ability to read original legal and political texts and to write them in a suitable language, as well as to strengthening their ability to interact with peers and clients on issues of a legal and political nature.
Admission requirements
In order to benefit from the course a level B2 as per CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) is advisable.
Course contents
LECTURES AND EXAMINATION TESTS
Lectures will include:
• analysis and application of some of the main reading strategies (skimming, scanning, extensive reading, intensive reading;
• punctuation in the legal discourse;
• the importance of politically correct language: how to write in an unbiased language; practice
• pronominal adverbs; practice
• turning an informal text into a formal legal text and viceversa; practice
• the language of patents
• intellectual property; vocabulary and practice
• how to write a memo
• the language of contracts
The exam will be in the written form and will consist of a series of exercises of the same kind as those done during the course.
Non-attending students will be given an extra written test.
Teaching methods
Practice in class, lectures delivered in the form of workshops and seminars
Assessment methods
Final written test consisting of open questions, gap-fill, multiple choice and re-phrasing exercises, and reading and listening comprehension tests.
Learning outcomes
This course goes more in depth in the aspects of legal writing studied in Lingua Inglese Idoneità. A B2 CEFR level is a necessary prerequisite to benefit from this teaching.
Readings
Dispensa del corso reperibile su http://dolly.giurisprudenza.unimore.it
The following texts can be used for further reference:
Rupert Haigh, Legal English, 2nd ed. (London and New York: Routledge-Cavendish, 2012);
Real documents (supplied during the course)
F. De Franchis, Law Dictionary-Dizionario Giuridico (Milano: Giuffrè editore, 1984).
F. Del Giudice, Giovanni Ciotola (a cura di), Legal English. Dizionario inglese-italiano per la pratica legale, l’università e i concorsi (Napoli: edizioni Simone, 2009).