English, Legal English, 7.5 credits

Aims and objectives

General aims for first cycle education

First-cycle courses and study programmes shall develop:

• the ability of students to make independent and critical assessments
• the ability of students to identify, formulate and solve problems autonomously, and
• the preparedness of students to deal with changes in working life.

In addition to knowledge and skills in their field of study, students shall develop the ability to:

• gather and interpret information at a scholarly level
• stay abreast of the development of knowledge, and
• communicate their knowledge to others, including those who lack specialist knowledge in the field.

(Higher Education Act, Chapter 1, Section 8)

Course objectives

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to
- Apply specific techniques to answering questions of law,
- Cite to sources in accordance with an established system for legal citation,
- Use reference books to check word choice and usage in legal writing,
- Employ editing strategies to achieve clear and precise English,
- Use proofreading tools and strategies to improve correctness, and
- Identify the meaning and use of certain legal terms.

Main content of the course

In this course, students learn how to write on legal matters in formal English. They are introduced to the concept of legal argumentation—used to arrive at a legally defensible conclusion—and how it can be presented in writing. Students are introduced to writing strategies that help make legal writing clear and concise and learn how to apply these when writing on topics of law. The course also covers law-specific English terms and expressions and how they are used as well as how to find and cite English-language legal sources.

Teaching methods

The teaching is conducted in the form of lectures, seminars, workshops, exercises, and internet based discussion fora.

Students who have been admitted to and registered on a course have the right to receive tuition and/or supervision for the duration of the time period specified for the particular course to which they were accepted (see, the university's admission regulations (in Swedish)). After that, the right to receive tuition and/or supervision expires.

Examination methods

Legal English A, 4 credits (Code: A001)
Written legal paper.

Legal English B, 2.5 credits (Code: A002)
Revised legal paper.

Legal English C, 1 credits (Code: A003)
Vocabulary test.

For students with a documented disability, the university may approve applications for adapted or other forms of examinations.

For further information, see the university's local examination regulations (in Swedish).

Comments on examination methods

Completions for a passing grade
Completions are possible only for graded written work, not the vocabulary exam. In a situation where a failed text could be approved after minimal corrections, the examiner may decide that a student may submit a completion rather than doing a re-examination. Completions must be carried out according to the teacher’s instructions and submitted to the teacher within one week after the student is notified of the failing grade. A completed text can earn no higher grade than an E.

Grades

According to the Higher Education Ordinance, Chapter 6, Section 18, a grade is to be awarded on the completion of a course, unless otherwise prescribed by the university. The university may prescribe which grading system shall apply. The grade is to be determined by a teacher specifically appointed by the university (an examiner).

In accordance with university regulations regarding grading systems for first and second-cycle courses (Vice-Chancellor’s decision ORU 2018/00929), one of the following grades shall be used: Fail (U), Pass (G) or Pass with Distinction (VG). For courses that are included in an international Master’s programme (60 or 120 credits) or offered to the university’s incoming exchange students, the grading scale of A-F shall be used. The vice-chancellor, or a person appointed by the vice-chancellor, may decide on exceptions from this provision for a specific course, if there are special grounds.

Grades used on course are Fail (F), Sufficient (E), Satisfactory (D), Good (C), Very Good (B) or Excellent (A).

Legal English A
Grades used are Fail (F), Sufficient (E), Satisfactory (D), Good (C), Very Good (B) or Excellent (A).

Legal English B
Grades used are Fail (F), Sufficient (E), Satisfactory (D), Good (C), Very Good (B) or Excellent (A).

Legal English C
Grades used are Fail (F), Sufficient (E), Satisfactory (D), Good (C), Very Good (B) or Excellent (A).

For further information, see the university's local examination regulations (in Swedish).

Comments on grades

To pass the whole course, at least the grade E is required for each examination.

The letter grades A–E will be converted to numbers 5–1 and combined to an average grade, where the number of credits for each examination also are taken into account. A weighted average grade of the course modules will thus be reported for the whole course.

Grade A is reported if the grade average is at least 4.5.
Grade B is reported if the grade average is at least 3.5 but less than 4.5.
Grade C is reported if the grade average is at least 2.5 but less than 3.5.
Grade D is reported if the grade average is at least 1.5 but less than 2.5.
Grade E is reported if the grade average is less than 1.5.

Specific entry requirements

General entry requirements + English 6.

For further information, see the university's admission regulations (in Swedish).

Transfer of credits for previous studies

Students who have previously completed higher education or other activities are, in accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance, entitled to have these credited towards the current programme, providing that the previous studies or activities meet certain criteria.

For further information, see the university's local credit transfer regulations (in Swedish).

Other provisions

The language of instruction and examination is English.

Reading list and other teaching materials

Required Reading

Ramage, John D., Bean, John C., and Johnson, June C. (2020)
Selected Chapters from the Allyn and Bacon Guide to Writing, 8th edition
Longman.
(E-book: https://www.lix.com/en/books/9781839612732)

Garner, Bryan A. (2019)
The Redbook: A Manual on Legal Style, 4th ed.

Jonathan Law (2022)
A Dictionary of Law, 10th ed.
Oxford University Press

Reference literature

Turner, Tracy. (2015)
Legal Writing from the Ground Up: Process, Principle and Possibilities
Aspen Publishing.

Additions and Comments on the Reading List

Up to 150 pages of additional reading may be assigned.