Information Package / Course Catalogue
| Law | |||||
| Bachelor | Length of the Programme: 4 | Number of Credits: 240 | TR-NQF-HE: Level 6 | QF-EHEA: First Cycle | EQF: Level 6 |
Ders Genel Tanıtım Bilgileri
| School/Faculty/Institute | Faculty of Law | ||||
| Course Code | HUK 236 | ||||
| Course Title in English | Law and Neuroscience | ||||
| Course Title in Turkish | Hukuk ve Nörobilim | ||||
| Language of Instruction | TR | ||||
| Type of Course | Lecture | ||||
| Level of Course | Seçiniz | ||||
| Semester | Fall | ||||
| Contact Hours per Week |
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| Estimated Student Workload | 62 hours per semester | ||||
| Number of Credits | 2 ECTS | ||||
| Grading Mode | Standard Letter Grade | ||||
| Pre-requisites | None | ||||
| Expected Prior Knowledge | None | ||||
| Co-requisites | None | ||||
| Registration Restrictions | Undergraduate Students Only | ||||
| Overall Educational Objective | To make advances in the field of neuroscience usable in terms of legal theory and practice by providing a general level of knowledge about the areas where neuroscience is related to law. | ||||
| Course Description | The idea that human beings are endowed with consciousness and free will is one of the presumptions on which modern legal systems rely to define personality. Person, in the legal sense, has to have the ability to act consciously and/or according to his/her free will to bear the responsibility of his/her acts. Nevertheless, the accuracy of a conscious human agency acting with free will has been challenged by neuroscientific research since 1980s. The debate whether or not this challenge will force legal systems to define a new basis for broad legal liability (including criminal responsibility) is at the focus of the course. | ||||
| Course Description in Turkish | İnsanların özgür irade sahibi bilinçli canlılar olduğu varsayımı, modern hukuk sistemleri tarafından kişiliğin tanımlanmasında başvurulan temel noktalardan birisidir. Kişinin eylem ve işlemlerinden dolayı hukuken sorumlu tutulabilmesi için, bu eylem ve işlemlerin bilinçli olarak, özgür iradeyle gerçekleştirilmiş olması şartı aranır. Ancak, insanın özgür iradesiyle davranan bilinçli bir canlı olduğu varsayımının geçerliliği nörobilim alanında 1980’lerden bu yana ortaya çıkan gelişmelerle gitigide daha fazla tartışılır bir konu haline gelmiştir. Nörobilimdeki gelişmelerin gelecekte hukuk sistemlerinin sorumluluğu belirlerken başvurdukları temel varsayımı değiştirmek zorunda kalmalarını yol açıp açmayacağı tartışması dersin ana vurgusunu oluşturacaktır. |
Course Learning Outcomes and CompetencesUpon successful completion of the course, the learner is expected to be able to:1) Having knowledge about the scope and application area of neuroscience 2) Ability to use data obtained through neuroimaging methods in ongoing lawsuits 3) Understand the transformation that advances in neuroscience can create in the field of legal and criminal liability 4) Having knowledge about the neurophysiological principles of human behavior and being able to apply this knowledge to the field of law |
| Program Learning Outcomes/Course Learning Outcomes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1) The ability to recognize and apply basic principles and theories of law, legal methodology, and interpretation methods. | ||||
| 2) The ability to follow, evaluate, interpret and apply the current developments and legislative amendments. | ||||
| 3) The ability to locate and use legal resources; to follow and evaluate current legislative amendments, legal science, and court decisions. | ||||
| 4) The ability to internalize social, scientific and ethical values while evaluating legal information. | ||||
| 5) The ability to recognize, examine and resolve legal issues with respect to general principles of law, de lege feranda and de lege lata; to take into consideration both national and international aspects of law; and to acknowledge the importance of personal conviction while making decisions. | ||||
| 6) The ability to critically analyze legal disputes, legislation, court decisions and different views in the legal science; to form his/her own opinions; to detect legal lacuna and suggest alternative solutions. | ||||
| 7) The ability to understand issues regarding different fields of law; to characterize and propose solutions to complex issues arising from legal practice. | ||||
| 8) The ability to participate in and organize legal projects and activities as a socially responsible individual; to put his/her legal knowledge and skill to use efficiently (in the public or private sector). | ||||
| 9) The ability to use a foreign language at least on a B2 Level on the European Language Portfolio, to follow legal developments and communicate with colleagues in that language; to use computer software and information and communication technologies necessary in the law field at an Advanced Level of the European Computer Driving License. | ||||
| 10) Adoption of a positive approach to the concept of lifelong learning. | ||||
| 11) The ability to understand the development, evolution, and problems of the society and to contribute to the solution of these problems by legal methods. | ||||
| 12) The ability to understand the structure, organization, and functioning of law on the national and international level; to contribute to the development thereof. |
Relation to Program Outcomes and Competences
| N None | S Supportive | H Highly Related |
| Program Outcomes and Competences | Level | Assessed by | |
| 1) | The ability to recognize and apply basic principles and theories of law, legal methodology, and interpretation methods. | H | Exam |
| 2) | The ability to follow, evaluate, interpret and apply the current developments and legislative amendments. | N | |
| 3) | The ability to locate and use legal resources; to follow and evaluate current legislative amendments, legal science, and court decisions. | N | |
| 4) | The ability to internalize social, scientific and ethical values while evaluating legal information. | H | Exam |
| 5) | The ability to recognize, examine and resolve legal issues with respect to general principles of law, de lege feranda and de lege lata; to take into consideration both national and international aspects of law; and to acknowledge the importance of personal conviction while making decisions. | S | |
| 6) | The ability to critically analyze legal disputes, legislation, court decisions and different views in the legal science; to form his/her own opinions; to detect legal lacuna and suggest alternative solutions. | N | |
| 7) | The ability to understand issues regarding different fields of law; to characterize and propose solutions to complex issues arising from legal practice. | S | Exam |
| 8) | The ability to participate in and organize legal projects and activities as a socially responsible individual; to put his/her legal knowledge and skill to use efficiently (in the public or private sector). | S | Exam |
| 9) | The ability to use a foreign language at least on a B2 Level on the European Language Portfolio, to follow legal developments and communicate with colleagues in that language; to use computer software and information and communication technologies necessary in the law field at an Advanced Level of the European Computer Driving License. | S | Exam |
| 10) | Adoption of a positive approach to the concept of lifelong learning. | N | |
| 11) | The ability to understand the development, evolution, and problems of the society and to contribute to the solution of these problems by legal methods. | H | Exam |
| 12) | The ability to understand the structure, organization, and functioning of law on the national and international level; to contribute to the development thereof. | N |
| Prepared by and Date | ZEYNEP ÖZEN , January 2024 |
| Course Coordinator | HÜLYA DİNÇER |
| Semester | Fall |
| Name of Instructor |
Course Contents
| Week | Subject |
| 1) | Introduction |
| 2) | Introduction of course content |
| 3) | Brain: Biological structure and functioning |
| 4) | The brain as a social organ: Behavioral and cognitive neuroscience |
| 5) | Law and brain: Three different levels of the relationship between neuroscience and law |
| 6) | Neuroscience in courtrooms: Can data obtained with neuroimaging methods be legal evidence? 1- Current situation |
| 7) | Midterms |
| 8) | Neuroscience in courtrooms: Can data obtained with neuroimaging methods be legal evidence? 2- Future possibilities |
| 9) | Neuroscience, the problem of free will and law |
| 10) | Evolution of the brain as a social organ: A pattern of altruistic behavior |
| 11) | Evolution of altruism in the human species 1: rule-oriented reasoning |
| 12) | The evolution of altruism in the human species 2: punishment |
| 13) | Evolution of altruism in the human species 3: the free will hypothesis |
| 14) | Finals |
| Required/Recommended Readings | Articles and resources shared by the course instructor | ||||||||||||
| Teaching Methods | Theoretical explanation and evaluations | ||||||||||||
| Homework and Projects | None | ||||||||||||
| Laboratory Work | None | ||||||||||||
| Computer Use | None | ||||||||||||
| Other Activities | None | ||||||||||||
| Assessment Methods |
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| Course Administration |
dincerhu@mef.edu.tr Office Hours: By Appointment |
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ECTS Student Workload Estimation
| Activity | No/Weeks | Hours | Calculation | ||||
| No/Weeks per Semester | Preparing for the Activity | Spent in the Activity Itself | Completing the Activity Requirements | ||||
| Course Hours | 14 | 1 | 2 | 42 | |||
| Homework Assignments | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Midterm(s) | 2 | 4 | 2 | 12 | |||
| Final Examination | 1 | 6 | 2 | 8 | |||
| Total Workload | 62 | ||||||
| Total Workload/25 | 2.5 | ||||||
| ECTS | 2 | ||||||