Objective: 
Lectures and classes deal with the main features and values of contemporary legal cultures. Six legal cultures will be taken into consideration – civil law culture, common law culture, Chinese legal culture, Indian legal culture, Islamic legal culture and mixed jurisdictions system.

The aim:
To familiarize students with the achievements of contemporary legal cultures.
To analyse main features and values of contemporary legal cultures in social, historical and religious context.
To determine the influence of values of contemporary legal cultures on legal regulations.

Acquired knowledge:
Student acquires knowledge about historical evolution and social and religious conditions of development of contemporary legal cultures.
Student acquires knowledge about features of legal regulations in Europe, US, Canada, China, India and Islamic states, related to the values of legal cultures.
Student deepens his/her knowledge of sociology and political science.

Acquired skills:
When asking questions or writing e-mails to a lecturer student correctly formulates statesments in legal English.
When using elements of legal institutions from the past, student is able to solve simple cases requiring legal and interdisciplinary knowledge.
Contemplating events from the past student is able to formulate simple conclusions de lege lata and the lege ferenda.
Student is applying theoretical knowledge for analysing contemporary legal cultures, he/she critically selects methods of analysis and formulates his/her own opinions.
Student uses at least one foreign language, when learning legal terminology.

Developed reflection:
During the course student notices ethical, economical and political implications of selected legal systems in the past and present.
On examples taken from the history student sees the effects of his/her legal, moral, social, economical and professional activities as a lawyer and man.
While studying contemporary legal cultures student explains social problems and their multilateral relationships with the law.

Assessment: 
The final grade consists of: term paper ( 40 % ), student own work ( 30% ), class activity ( 30% ).

Contents: 
Chinese legal culture

Indian legal culture

Islamic legal culture

Civil law culture

Common law culture

Mixed jurisdictions system

Test

Recommended reading: 
European Legal History: Sources and Institutions, O.F. Robinson, T.D. Fergus, W.M.Gordon, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2000.
Essentials of the English Legal System, J. Wheeler, Pearson, Harlow, 2006.
Roman Law in European History, P. Stein, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1999.
Islamic Law: Theory and Interpretation, M. Mumisa, Amana Publications, Beltsville, 2002.
Modern Hindu Law, P. Diwan, Allahabad Law Agency, Allahabad, 1995.
Chinese Law and Legal Theory, M. Palmer, New York University Press, New York, 1994.
History of the Common Law: The Development of Anglo-American Legal Institutions, J. H. Langbein, R. L. Lerner, B. P. Smith, Aspen Publishers, Aspen, 2009.