AI1550 Introduction to Swedish law 15.0 credits

The course is divided into two parts, part 1 and part 2. The course provides an overview of certain central parts of the Swedish legal system and a certain understanding of the function of law in society. The course provides a general legal education and forms a good basis for further studies in law. The course begins with an orientation in the structure of the Swedish legal system and basic sources of law. The various subject areas listed below are dealt with one after the other. As a rule, one lecture with subsequent seminars/group exercises in the same subject area is held per week. At the seminars/group exercises, mainly various application problems will be discussed. The emphasis is on an overview of basic rules regarding:

• Rules regarding legal capacity and guardianship
• Contract law (contract conclusion, power of attorney and invalidity
• Law on Purchase of movable property (right to purchase, contract and consumer rights)
• Law on Payment and Debt Instruments (Accounts receivable and promissory note law
• Property rights (including pledge, surety and other security rights)
• Real Estate Law
• Tort Law
• Family Law with Inheritance Law (special focus on property division and inheritance law issues)
• Intellectual Property Law
• Labor Law
• The Law of Business Organizations
• Market law (including Competition Law)
• Administrative law including Constitutional Law
• Procedural Law including bankruptcy, distress, general courts and administrative courts
• Criminal Law
• Insolvency Law (such as corporate restructuring and debt restructuring)
• European Union Law

After completing the course, the student is expected to be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

1. Demonstrate basic knowledge of and understanding of the legal system, the formation of concepts and relevant legal rules within the course's subject areas.

2. Demonstrate basic knowledge of and understanding of legal method with an emphasis on hierarchy among legal sources.

3. Demonstrate basic knowledge of the function of the legal system as a conflict resolver. 

Skills and abilities

4. Independently and systematically apply and interpret legal rules based on relevant legal methods and make qualified assessments of legal problems.

5. Independently distinguish, formulate and analyze legal issues and plan and carry out qualified tasks within given time frames.

6. In writing and orally, individually or in a group, be able to explain legal issues and legal assessments based on legal cases or fictitious legal situations within the course's subject areas.

Evaluation ability and approach

7. Independently be able to search for, evaluate and analyze relevant legal sources.

8. Be able to assess and evaluate regulatory issues with regard to ethical and societal issues.

9. Based on reflection on one's own learning, be able to identify one's need for more knowledge.

No prerequisites

• ÖVN3 - Excercise, 1.0 credits, grading scale: P, F
• ÖVN4 - Excercise, 1.0 credits, grading scale: P, F
• ÖVN5 - Excercise, 1.0 credits, grading scale: P, F
• ÖVN6 - Excercise, 2.0 credits, grading scale: P, F
• TEN3 - Written examination, 10.0 credits, grading scale: A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

Based on recommendation from KTH’s coordinator for disabilities, the examiner will decide how to adapt an examination for students with documented disability.

The examiner may apply another examination format when re-examining individual students.

If the course is discontinued, students may request to be examined during the following two academic years.

The final grade for the course is based on the result of the written examination.

Annina Persson

• All members of a group are responsible for the group's work.
• In any assessment, every student shall honestly disclose any help received and sources used.
• In an oral assessment, every student shall be able to present and answer questions about the entire assignment and solution.

During the period from Autumn term 2026 to Autumn term 2028, students enrolled in earlier versions of the course will be able to exams for the modules included in the version of the course for which they are registered.