Legal knowledge in the system of higher education of non-legal specialties

Abstract

The article is devoted to the place and role of legal knowledge in the system of higher education of non-legal specialties. The erroneous belief that legal knowledge is needed only to professional lawyers has been disproved. Given the needs of the rule of law in Ukraine, this knowledge is both valuable and necessary to all citizens. Knowledge of law has special importance for people with higher (including non-legal) education since they are aimed at building Ukrainian statehood – its politics, economy, industry, education, culture and others. Therefore, the study of legal disciplines in higher education institutions is of extreme importance.
 The interrelation between the concepts of legal education and juridical education is analysed. Juridical education is characterized as professional training of future judges, prosecutors, lawyers and other legislators. On the other hand, legal education is the acquisition of knowledge about state and legal phenomena by all members of society. The legal framework for legal education, its advantages and disadvantages are studied. The need for legal skills and competencies in accordance with the approved standards of higher education in non-legal specialties is identified. The necessity to develop and adopt a particular law on legal education of the Ukraine’s population is emphasized. The gradation of the capacity of legal knowledge depending on the peculiarities of a concrete non-legal specialty of higher education is offered.
 The experience of the Department of Ukraine’s Law Fundamentals, Faculty of Law, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv in teaching law disciplines at non-legal faculties is summarized. Didactic methods in this direction should consist of accessible and concise but, at the same time, complete and informative provision of legal knowledge, training of skills and abilities, their mastering and testing. Accordingly, there is a need to develop and publish separate textbooks, manuals, workshops, work programs and other materials on law issues for students of non-legal specialties. The expediency of functioning in the structure of the classical university of a specialized unit (department), which provides legal knowledge to students of non-legal specialties, is substantiated.