Иностранный язык в сфере юриспруденции. Учебно-методическое пособие по английскому языку

МОСКОВСКИЙ ГУМАНИТАРНЫЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ Кафедра иностранных языков

ИНОСТРАННЫЙ ЯЗЫК В СФЕРЕ ЮРИСПРУДЕНЦИИ

Учебно-методическое пособие по английскому языку

Авторы-составители Ю. В. Гаврилова, Ю. С. Кильченко

Издательство Московского гуманитарного университета 2017

ББК 81-923 И68

Авторы-составители:

Ю. В. Гаврилова, кандидат филологических наук, доцент кафедры иностранных языков Московского гуманитарного университета; Ю. С. Кильченко, старший преподаватель кафедры иностранных языков

Московского гуманитарного университета.

Рецензенты:

В. Я. Быстров, кандидат философских наук, доцент, заведующий кафедрой иностранных языков Московского гуманитарного университета;

И. Л. Ашмарина, кандидат филологических наук, доцент кафедры иностранных языков и коммуникативных технологий

Института базового образования Национального исследовательского технологического университета «МИСиС».

И68 Иностранный язык в сфере юриспруденции : учеб.-метод. пособие по английскому языку / авт.-сост. Ю. В. Гаврилова, Ю. С. Кильченко. — М. : Издательство Московского гуманитарного университета, 2017. — 50 с .

ISBN 978-5-906912-39-8

Пособие призвано сформировать у обучаемых навыки самостоя-

тельного чтения, перевода и понимания оригинальных и профессионально ориентированных текстов; вести беседу, используя профессиональную лексику; значительно пополнить свой словарный запас оригинальными выражениями. Пособие состоит из двух разделов, содержащих тексты со словарными пояснениями и грамматическими и лексическими упражнениями, а также приложения. Темы пособия посвящены различным правовым аспектам современного мира. Приложение содержит творческие задания.

Для студентов юридического факультета, изучающих дисциплину «Иностранный язык в сфере юриспруденции» (английский). Уровень владения языком — не ниже Pre-intermediate (A2).

ББК 81-923

Обсуждено и одобрено на заседании кафедры иностранных языков 30 ноября 2016 г., протокол № 4.

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Part 1

Text 1

What is Law?

(Present Simple Passive, Past Simple Passive)

1. Find out the meaning of the following words.

Rule, law, definition, enforce, government, conduct, society.

2. Read and translate the text.

The question “What is law?” has troubled people for many years. A whole field of study known as jurisprudence (the study of law and legal philosophy) is devoted to answering this question. Many definitions of law exist. For our purposes, however, law can be defined as the rules and regulations made and enforced by the government that regulate the conduct of people within a society.

As a child, you learned about rules first at home and later at school. At home, your parents made and enforced rules concerning issues like chores and bedtimes. Rules made and enforced by the government are called laws. The government makes laws that affect almost every aspect of daily life.

One thing is certain: every society that has ever existed has recognized the need for laws. These laws may have been unwritten, but even pre-industrial societies had rules to regulate people’s conduct. Native American societies, for example, were governed by unwritten laws. When Europeans first arrived on the North American continent, each of the native American nations (or tribe, as they are commonly called today) maintained order through a system of unwritten rules. Because many non-native American government officials and others did not see or understand these traditional mechanisms, many nonnative Americans held the erroneous view that the societies were lawless. Today, some native American groups are still governed, at least in part, by traditional unwritten law.

Without laws, there would be confusion and disorder. This does not mean that all laws are fair or even good, but imagine how people might take advantage of one another without a set of rules.

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3. Find the equivalents for the following words and expressions in the text.

Существовать, приводить в жизнь, внутри общества, каждый аспект повседневной жизни, признать необходимость законов, неписанный закон, доиндустриальное общество, поведение людей, поддерживать порядок, набор правил.

4. Read the text again and answer the questions.

1. Why has the question “What is law?” troubled people for many years?

2. What is jurisprudence?

3. What definition of law is given in the text? 4. Why does any existing society need laws? 5. Have laws always been written?

6. What would happen if people lived without laws?

5. A) Look at the structure of the following sentences and try to find the difference.

At home, parents make and enforce rules.

At home, rules are made and enforced by parents.

When you were a child, your parents made and enforced rules for you.

When you were a child, rules were made and enforced for you by your parents.

B) Find more examples of Passive constructions in the text.

6.Translate the following sentences from Russian into English.

1.Закон и юридическая философия изучаются юриспру-

денцией.

2.Поведение людей в обществе регулируется законом.

3.Законы создаются правительством.

4.Правила о домашней работе и времени сна устанавливаются родителями.

5.Отношения между людьми в доиндустриальном обществе регулировались неписаным законом.

6.Порядок в доиндустриальном обществе поддерживался системой правил.

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7. Prepare the retelling of the text, paying attention to the main concepts of the text and their definitions.

Text 2

Kinds of Laws

(Defining relative clauses)

1. Find out the meaning of the following word combinations.

Criminal laws, civil laws, a criminal case, to charge with, to commit a crime, to punish, an offender, a penalty.

2. Read and translate the text.

Laws fall into two major groups: criminal and civil. Criminal laws regulate public conduct and set out duties owed to society. A criminal case is a legal action brought by the government against a person charged with committing a crime. Criminal laws have penalties, and offenders are imprisoned, fined, placed under supervision, or punished in some other way. Criminal offenses are divided into felonies and misdemeanors. The penalty for a felony is a term of more than one year in prison. For a misdemeanor, the penalty is a prison term of one year or less. Felonies are more serious crimes such as murder or robbery. Misdemeanors are less serious crimes such as simple assault or minor theft.

Civil laws regulate relations between individuals or groups of individuals. A civil action (lawsuit) can be brought by a person who feels wronged or injured by another person. Courts may award the injured person money for the loss, or they may order the person who committed the wrong to make amends in some other way. An example of a civil action is a lawsuit for recovery of damages suffered in an automobile accident. Civil laws regulate many everyday situations, such as marriage, divorce, contracts, real estate, insurance, consumer protection, and negligence.

Sometimes one action can violate both, civil and criminal law. For example, if Joe beats up Bob, he may have to pay Bob’s medical bills under civil law and may be charged with the crime of assault under criminal law.

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3. Find the equivalents for the following words and expressions in the text.

Уголовное право, гражданское право, совершать преступление, нарушитель, оштрафовать, поместить под наблюдение, уголовное преступление, судебно наказуемый проступок, убийство, грабеж, нападение, воровство, возмещать убытки, судебный процесс (тяжба).

4.Read the text again and answer the questions.

1.What two groups of laws do you know?

2.What is a criminal case?

3.How are criminal offences divided?

4.What crimes are more serious?

5.What is the penalty for a felony? For a misdemeanor?

6.Make a list of all crimes mentioned in the text.

7.What do civil laws regulate?

8.Give your own examples of how one action can violate both civil and criminal laws.

5. Match the words on the left with the correct definition on the right.

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and explain when we use who or which in defining relative clauses.

An offender is a person who is charged with committing a crime.

A criminal case is a legal action which is brought by the government against an offender.

B) Using the following words, make sentences with defining relative clauses.

1.jurisprudence — science — study law;

2.criminal — person — commit a crime;

3.criminal law — branch — deal with crimes and their punishment;

4.thief — person — steal things;

5.murderer — person — kill someone.

C)Make your own sentences with the same grammar structure.

7.Prepare the retelling of the text, paying attention to the main concepts of the text and their definitions.

Text 3

Law and Moral

(Link Words)

1. Find out the meaning of the following word combinations.

Reflect values, to influence, illegal, to protect human rights, to resolve conflicts, to promote order, violate rights, to deal with.

2. Read and translate the text.

Laws generally reflect and promote society’s values. Our legal system is influenced by our society’s traditional ideas of right and wrong. For example, laws against murder reflect the moral belief

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that killing another person is wrong. Most people would condemn murder regardless of what the law said. However, not everything that is immoral is also illegal. For example, lying to a friend may be immoral but is seldom illegal.

We expect our legal system to achieve many goals. These include 1) protecting basic human rights, 2) promoting fairness, 3) helping resolve conflicts, 4) promoting order and stability, 5) protecting the environment, 6) representing the will of the majority, and 7) protecting the rights of minorities.

Many of society’s most difficult problems involve conflicts among these goals. For example, in trying to make up for past discrimination, some laws give preference to minorities over whites or to women over men. Laws must balance rights with responsibilities, the will of the majority with the rights of the minority, the need for order with the need for basic freedom. Reasonable people sometimes disagree over how the law can protect the rights of some without violating the rights of others.

Laws can be based on moral, economic, political, or social values. As values changes, so can laws. Moral values deal with fundamental questions of right and wrong. For example, laws against killing promote society’s primary moral value — the protection of life. However, as already noted, some things that are considered immoral may not violate the law. In limited circumstances, such as in self-defense or during a time of war, even an intentional killing may be legal.

Economic values deal with the accumulation, preservation, use, and distribution of wealth. Many laws promote economic values by encouraging certain economic decisions and discouraging others. The law encourages home ownership by giving tax benefits to people who borrow money to pay for a home, for example. Laws against shoplifting protect property and discourage stealing by providing a criminal penalty.

Political values reflect the relationship between government and individuals. Laws making it easier to vote promote citizen participation in the political process, a basic American political value.

Social values concern issues that are important to society. For example, it is an American social value that all students are provided

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with free public education through high school. Consequently, all states have laws providing such education. Like other values, social values can change. In the past, for example, society believed that school sports were not as important for girls as for boys. This value has changed. Today, laws require schools to provide females with sports opportunities similar to those offered to males.

Many laws combine moral, economic, political, and social values. For example, laws against theft deal with the moral issue of stealing, the economic issue of protection of property, the political issue of how government punishes those who violate criminal statutes, and the social issue of protecting the property of others.

3. Find the equivalents for the following words and expressions in the text.

Отражать и обеспечивать ценности общества, осуждать убийство, незаконный, защищать права человека, разрешить конфликт, обеспечить порядок и стабильность, защищать окружающую среду, большинство, меньшинство, отдавать предпочтение, сбалансировать права и обязанности, нарушать права, защита жизни, при определенных обстоятельствах, самооборона, льготы по налогообложению, участие, бесплатное государственное образование.

4. Read the text again and answer the questions.

1.What do laws reflect and promote?

2.What influences our legal system? How?

3.Think of your own examples of something that is immoral, but not illegal. Now try to find examples of something illegal but not immoral in our society.

4.What goals do we expect our legal system to achieve?

5.Why can laws change when values do?

6.What do economic values deal with?

7.How can laws promote economic values?

8. What values are placed in conflict by laws protecting the environment?

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