Technical Reading Law I 1210

UNIVERSIDAD COOPERATIVA DE COLOMBIA “Profesionales con Criterios Políticos” Villavicencio – Meta – Colombia

Faculty of Law English I – Group – 1210 – Technical reading II Name: _______________________________

Code: __________ Date ______________

WHAT’S JURISPRUDENCE? I To build up solid foundations in the world of jurispruedence, it’s important to begin by getting familiar with definitions. The word jurisprudence, for instance, derives from the Latin term juris prudential. It means "the study, knowledge, or science of law." Jurisprudence commonly means the philosophy of law. II Legal philosophy has many aspects, but four of them are the most common. The first and the most prevalent form of jurisprudence seeks to analyze, explain, classify, and criticize entire bodies of law. The second type of jurisprudence compares and contrasts law with other fields of knowledge such as literature, economics, religion, and the social sciences. The third type of jurisprudence seeks to reveal the historical, moral, and cultural basis of a particular legal concept. The fourth body of jurisprudence focuses on finding the answer to such abstract questions as What is law? How do judges (properly) decide cases? III Apart from different types of jurisprudence, different schools of jurisprudence exist. Formalism, or conceptualism, for example, treats law like math or science. Formalists believe that a judge identifies the relevant legal principles, applies them to the facts of a case, and logically deduces a rule that will govern the outcome of the dispute. In contrast, proponents of legal realism believe that most cases beforecourts present hard questions that judges must resolve by balancing the interests of the parties and ultimately drawing an arbitrary line on one side of the dispute. IV There are no bright lines between different schools of jurisprudence. The legal philosophy of a particular legal scholar may consist of a combination of strains from many schools of legal thought. Some scholars think that it is more appropriate to think about jurisprudence as a continuum. V The above mentioned schools of legal thoughts are only part of a diverse jurisprudential picture of the United States. Other prominent schools of legal thought exist. Critical legal studies, feminist jurisprudence, law and economics, utilitarianism, and legal pragmatism are but a few of them. Vocabulary for the written test Foundations: Fundamentos Plead: Alegar Govern: Governar Sue : Demandar Legal rinciples: Principios legales Verdict : Veredicto Acquit : Absolver Lawsuit : Juicio

DDispute: Disputa, pleito Facts of a case: Hechos de un caso

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Teacher William Céspedes