Professional Communication in Law

Bachelor 2021/2022

Type: Elective course (Law)

Area of studies: Law

Delivered by: Department of Foreign Languages

Where: School of Law

When: 3 year, 4 module

Mode of studies: offline

Open to: students of one campus

Instructors: Sergei Chumilkin

Language: English

ECTS credits: 4

Contact hours: 58

Full Syllabus Ask Question

Abstract

The discipline is designed for third year students of programme 40.03.01 Legal studies and aims at developing the level of communicative competence for successful performance in professional environment. Students will have a chance to systemize their knowledge of the language and also develop and expand their active and passive vocabulary in legal sphere. The course helps to increase the level of comprehending of professional legal English together with introduction of successful behavior strategies. To reach these goals except for base textbooks an authentic materials including significant cases of past and recent years. Students will have an opportunity to create different legal texts from articles of association to the project of constituion. The language of discipline is English.

Learning Objectives

The course aims at developing language competence in legal sphere in different modes of professional communication for successful solving legal issues
The course is to help students to form professional socio-cultural skills in English to be able to perform adequately in international labour market
The course will maintain student's ability to create their own Legal documents in English and conduct adequate professional communication without any loss of their prestige

Expected Learning Outcomes

Knows principals of Speech Acts theory, characteristics of professional legal communications and strategies of successful behavior and language use in different genres of legal communication
Is able to create written legal documents belonging to various segments jurisprudence which satisfies both professional competence and linguistic awareness and successfully lead legal written professional communication in accordance with aim of communication
Is able to perform orally in different genres of oral legal and media legal communication belonging to various segments jurisprudence which satisfies both professional competence and linguistic awareness in accordance with aim of communicatio
Uses terminology and grammar patterns that are necessary for successful legal communication in Englis

Course Contents

Working with documents and colleagues - 1
Communication and Speech Act Theory. Role play
Written Legal Discourse (part 1)
Oral Legal Discourse, part 1. Presenting yourself in professional environment
Working with documents and colleagues - 2
Oral Legal Discourse, part 2. Dealing with Difficult Clients.
Written Legal Discourse, part 2. Letter of Claim pratcice
International Law
Legal Media Discourse.

Assessment Elements

Mini Lecture
A student has an opportunity to make either mini lecture or report. Mini Lecture is a speaking presentation made during Lectures of the the course to assist the lecturer and communicate theoretical (an not only) frameworks. Report is a short speaking presentation during seminars helping your peers to have necessary context for particular tasks or to give instructions hot to work with documents, role plays and etc. The student is allowed to do this task once during the course. If the student has made a mini lecture or report he or she is not allowed to request for another mini lecture or report. In order to have a topic for mini lecture or report. A student is to write a request to Mr Chumilkin or to speak about it during the break. The request is to be expressed not later than 6 calendar day before the date of the mini lecture (except for mini lectures for 15.04 when this option does not work) . No requests are considered after 31.05.22. The requests for the June classes have to be sent not later than 31.05.22 The slots for mini lectures are limited no more than three slots for seminar or lecture because all the lectures and reports stick to the topic of the class. Mr.Chumilkin has the right to set number of slots for mini lectures and reports during lectures and seminars depending on the topic. Total number of slots for mini lectures and reports exceeds the number of students enrolled on course. All these slots are distributed equally throughout the classes in April, May and June. Sergei V.Chumilkin has the right to reject you with mini lecturer if • Deadline break in June • All the slots for presentation have been taken Mr. Chumilkin has the right not to give topic for mini-lecture or report if there’s no option according to course syllabus. • The request for the report has not been made If the student misses the class with his mini lecture or report having been set he or she will have no opportunity to set one more topic.
Speaking tasks
Speaking tasks include podcasts, role play activities, advising and training tasks, video blogs, presentations and etc.. Students may receive task in class or as a home task. At the end of the course all the marks a student has received for the course are added and this sum is divided on the number of the tasks which were conducted. This result becomes a quarter of Final mark for the course. The final number of speaking tasks depends on the level of the group but cannot be less than four. If the activity is conducted in the class room Mr . Chumilkin sets the deadline and main requirements for the task. The task is to be completed by this deadline. If the activity is designed to be done at home the deadline is set by S.Chumilkin in advance.
Written tasks
During the course they are to complete written tasks both at home and on seminars and interactive lectures. The written tasks can be emails, letters, forms, legal documents, reports, brief cases. The task may be conducted individually, in pairs or in groups. At the end of the course all the marks a student has received for the course are added and this sum is divided on the number of the task which were conducted. This result becomes a quarter of Final mark for the course. The number of the written tasks depends on the group language acquisition level and cannot be less than five. Deadline for the written tasks made in class are obliged to be done in class. No after class passing is allowed. These papers are either sent to Mr. Chumilkin’s email or handed in handwritten. Deadline for the home written task is set by Mr.Chumilkin. Breaking the deadline is impossible.
Constitution Task
It is a home task activity that is completed individually. The student is to create a fragment of Constitution for the given islandic or small country. The fragment has to be related to a part of Constitution dealing with vital articles of the constitution. The Final Constitution project project is to consist of Preamble, Articles and Final notes. The number of the Articles obligatory for the students depends on the level of the group and will be clarified throughout the course. The task is not expected to be repassed. The task is given by S.Chumilin to students not later than 30 days before deadline
Final Test
The final test is designed to check knowledge from interactive, mini lectures and reports made by student. After each mini lecture and report the author of the presentations crates five questions for multiple choice test. These tasks will be used by Mr. Chumilkin to create 70 percent of the test, the rest of the test will bу completed by Mr. Chumilkin, using information either from Lectures or seminars. The test is done online in Smart LMS. The test consists of 100 questions. The students will have an hour and twenty minutes to complete the task.

Interim Assessment

2021/2022 4th module
0.1 * Constitution Task + 0.25 * Speaking tasks + 0.1 * Mini Lecture + 0.3 * Final Test + 0.25 * Written tasks

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

Legal English for Graduate Students: International Law / Попов Е.Б. - М.:НИЦ ИНФРА-М, 2016. - 92 с.: 60x90 1/16 ISBN 978-5-16-015766-5 - Текст : электронный. - URL: http://znanium.com/catalog/product/760141
Legal English: Quick Overview: Англ.язык в сфере юриспруд.Базовый курс: Учебник для бакалавров / Попов Е.Б.,Феоктистов Е.М.,Халюшева Г.Р. - 2-е изд.,перераю и доп.- М.: НИЦ ИНФРА-М,2016-314 с.: 60x90 1/16.- (ВО:Бакалавриат)(П) ISBN 978-5-16-011158-2 - Режим доступа: http://znanium.com/catalog/product/515106

Recommended Additional Bibliography

International Legal English. A course for classroom or self-study use, Krois-Lindner, A., 2011

Course Syllabus