Human rights and Welfare Policies - Master
Postgraduate course
- ECTS credits
- 10
- Teaching semesters
- Autumn
- Course code
- JUS3513
- Number of semesters
- 1
- Teaching language
- English
- Resources
- Schedule
Course description
Objectives and Content
Learning Outcomes
KNOWLEDGE
By the end of the course, students are expected to have solid knowledge and understanding of
- human rights law and underpinning values
- notions and significance of universality and relativity
- relationship between different rights
- state obligations, especially related to socio-economic human rights
- core content of rights and state obligations
- the duty of non-discrimination
- negative and positive aspects of rights and state obligations
- conflicting rights and duties in welfare law and policies
- the notion and significance of state´s margin of appreciation
- theories of state´s complying with socio-economic human rights.
SKILLS
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
- explain and discuss the content of central human rights instruments and sources
- identify and apply relevant sources and arguments in human rights assessments of welfare law and policies
- make independent and critical assessments of state´s human rights performance in welfare law and policies
- identify conflicting rights and obligations in welfare law and policies, and to discuss how to balance them
- compare and assess different theories and possible strategies of states to fulfil socio-economic human rights
- contribute to the discussion on how to effectively protect human rights in welfare law and policies
GENERAL COMPETENCE
After successful completion of the course, students should have general competence in:
- human rights law, analysis and communication, especially in the field of socio-economic human rights
- academic legal discourse, presentation and writing skills
- critical thinking and independent legal assessments
The course requirement of writing an individual 3000 words paper contributes significantly to achieving the teaching objectives and learning outcomes.
ECTS Credits
Level of Study
Semester of Instruction
Place of Instruction
Required Previous Knowledge
Recommended Previous Knowledge
Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap
Combined with JUS276-2-A Human rights law: Special Focus on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, JUS276-2-C Human rights and welfare policies or JUS2313 Human rights and welfare policies this course will generate no new credits.
THIS COURSE COMBINES WELL WITH
JUS250-2-D Velferdsrett
JUS2322/JUS3522 Health and human rights in the welfare state
Access to the Course
The course is available for the following students:
- Admitted to the five-year programme in law
- Admitted to the two-year master programme in law
- Admitted to the master's programme in sustainability
- Granted admission to elective courses at the Faculty of Law
- Granted additional right to study following completed master in law degree at UiB
- Exchange students at the Faculty of Law
The pre-requirements may still limit certain students' access to the course
Teaching and learning methods
Lectures, master classes or paper writing seminars with paper presentations.
Master classes look to go one step further than regular lectures - requiring more in-depth and specific preparation (i.e. reading of specific cases, articles, reports etc.), and charging students with responsibility for teaching and learning from each other through the use of flipped classrooms, group and/or individual presentations and debates.
Compulsory Assignments and Attendance
Forms of Assessment
Exam only in semesters with teaching.
The exam consists of two parts:
1. Paper of max 3000 words.
Individually chosen topic, approved by the course supervisor.
The paper must be passed in order to sit the school exam. Students who fail the paper will be given an opportunity to hand in a new paper prior to the school exam.
The paper constitutes 60% of the final grade.
2. Four-hour digital school exam. Information about digital examination.
Resit of school exam only when home exam is passed.
The school exam constitutes 40% of the final grade.
Exam language
Exam question: English
Answer: English
Grading Scale
Assessment Semester
Reading List
Course Evaluation
Examination Support Material
Support materials allowed during exam
See section 3-5 of the Supplementary Regulations for Studies at the Faculty of Law at the University of Bergen.
In addition: Course compendium supplied by the Faculty of Law.
Special regulations about dictionaries
- According to the Regulations for Studies, one dictionary is permitted support material during the examination. Bilingual dictionaries containing for example both Norwegian-English and English-Norwegian are considered as one dictionary.
- Bilingual dictionaries to/from the same two languages - for example Norwegian-English/English-Norwegian - in two different volumes are also considered as one dictionary (irrespective of publisher or edition).
- Dictionaries as described above cannot be combined with any other types of dictionaries.
- Any kind of combination which makes up more than two physical volumes is forbidden.
In case a student has a special need for any other combination than the above mentioned, such combination has to be clarified with/approved by the course coordinator minimum two weeks before the exam. Students who have not been granted permission to have a special combination minimum two weeks before the exam will be subject to theusual regulations(Section 3-5) about examination support materials.