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Koers

versión On-line ISSN 2304-8557
versión impresa ISSN 0023-270X

Koers (Online) vol.74 no.1-2 Pretoria  2009

 

RESEARCH ARTICLE

 

Belief and legal philosophy: A conceptual framework for Christian scholarship in undergraduate legal education

 

Geloof en regsfilosofie: 'n Begripsmatige raamwerk vir Christelike vakkundigheid in voorgraadse regsopleiding

 

 

S. de Freitas

Faculty of Law, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein. Email: defreitas.RD@ufs.ac.za

 

 


ABSTRACT

Legal education in South Africa has arrived at a discursive juncture that demands clarity on what the "purpose" of legal education should be. Debate on the purpose of legal education, more specifically for the Christian law student, becomes especially important in a society dominated by positivism, materialism and pragmatism. With specific reference to the undergraduate Christian law student, this article firstly explains that the purpose of legal education should include the nurturing of the student's belief - a belief encompassing his/her foundational perspective(s) on reality. Secondly, in order to achieve the proper nurturing and development of the Christian law student's belief, the importance of the teaching of legal philosophy is explained. In this regard, proposals are postulated pertaining to specific means by which such nurturing and development of the undergraduate Christian law student's foundational belief can be attained.

Key concepts: Christian education; legal education; legal philosophy; university


OPSOMMING

Regsopleiding in Suid-Afrika het by 'n diskursiewe tydstip gekom wat duidelikheid vereis oor wat die "doel" van regsopleiding behoort te wees. Debat oor die doel van regsopleiding, meer spesifiek vir die Christen-regstudent, word veral belangrik in 'n nuwe samelewing wat oorheers word deur positivisme, materialisme en pragmatisme. Met spesifieke verwysing na die voorgraadse Christen-regstudent, maak hierdie artikel dit eerstens duidelik dat die doel van regsopleiding die koestering van die student se geloof behoort in te sluit - geloof wat sy/haar grondliggende perspektief(we) oor die werklikheid omvat. Tweedens, ten einde die behoorlike koestering en ontwikkeling van die Christen-regstudent se geloof moontlik te maak, word die belangrikheid van die onderrig van regsfilosofie duidelik gemaak. In hierdie verband word voorstelle wat spesifiek verband hou met maniere waarop sodanige koestering en ontwikkeling van die voorgraadse Christen-regstudent se grondliggende geloof bereik kan word, gepostuleer.

Kernbegrippe: Christelike onderwys; regsfilosofie; regsopleiding; universiteit


 

 

Full text available only in PDF format.

 

 

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