General provisions

Determined on May 7, 2007 by Faculty of Law's Teaching Committee, Uppsala University, by virtue of Chapter 6 Section 14 and 15 of the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100). The course plan enters into force on July 1, 2007. Revised on June 4, 2014, the revisions enter into force on January 1, 2015. Revised on September 17, 2018, the revisions enter into force on January 1, 2019. Revised on September 16, 2019, the revisions enter into force on January 1, 2020.

In General

The course is 15 university points (15 ECTS credits) and an optional course at advanced level in the studies for the degree of Master of Laws, according to the degree requirements adopted 16 April 2007 by the Board of the Faculty of Law of Uppsala University. The course is held in English.

Entry requirements

In general, Swedish students must have attained five passes out of the six courses given at basic level of the LL.M programme. All the obligatory phases of the course in which the student has not attained a pass must have been fulfilled. Swedish students must have passed the exam for Term course 6.

If special reasons exist the board of exemption may grant exemption from the acceptance requirements.

Foreign students must at least have passed two years of studies in law and should have studied basic courses in international law, human rights law and/or constitutional law or equivalent.

Learning outcomes

To give students an understanding of the dynamics of the protection of human rights in an expanding and changing Europe as well as the complexity of the relationship between democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

The students are expected after the conclusion of the course to be able to:

• identify various solutions to legal problems at hand and in addition, apply the relevant international law norms/rules in a qualified manner,
• read and understand international case-law as well as identify the relevant issues in the concrete case,
• analyse the human rights norms in a contextual manner, and to apply different perspectives.

Criteria for grades

For the grade "approved" (B) the student shall, in addition to showing an ability to present complex international legal issues orally and in written form, achieve all the other learning outcomes, showing an ability to present and summarize material in a descriptive and reflective way.

For the higher grade "approved with merit" (Ba) the student shall, in addition to fulfiling the requirements for grade B, show an ability to structure material and to reason independently, critically and analytically.

For the highest grade "approved with distinction" (AB) the student shall, in addition to fulfiling the requirements for grade Ba, show an ability to structure material well, to analyse well, to compare and evaluate critically and to argue convincingly, with a high degree of independence.

Content

The course focuses on the rule of law, democracy, and the international protection of human rights.

Themes and topics discussed include:

• European institutions

The legal requirements for membership of the Council of Europe and the European Union.

• Human rights in the context of the Council of Europe and the European Union

The course will provide knowledge on the relevant human rights provisions of the European regional organisations including both civil and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights. The rights of so-called vulnerable groups and minorities are specifically addressed.

• Human rights protection in European countries

This theme addresses both legal and political frameworks and issues such as the role of democratic institutions.

• Theoretical perspectives on rights and democracy

Developments in legal and political theory on democracy, rights and the rule of law are explored.

Instruction

The teaching consists of lectures and seminars, the majority being in the form of seminars. All seminars are compulsory. The seminars are to be prepared in advance in study groups. Active participation is expected at seminars and in the study groups. Students are furthermore required to write an essay on a given topic.

The outline of the course is described in more detail in the course syllabus.

Assessment

In order for the students to complete the course they must fulfil the following com­pulsory requirements:

• All students are required to prepare for and participate actively in all semi­nars.
• All students are required to complete a written essay.
• All students are required to take a written exam at the end of the course.

The Faculty of Law prohibits the use of any deceptive means to influence the outcome of an exam or student work evaluated for a grade. A student, therefore, may only use the materials or learning aids that are expressly permitted during a written examination; all other materials or aids are forbidden. All written work must be the exclusive work of the individual student submitting it for a grade. Cooperation with other students in formulating the content of any submitted work is prohibited, regardless of whether the student provides or receives the prohibited assistance. Work submitted without proper citation or attribution constitutes plagiarism and is strictly proscribed. Additional instructions provided in the course for the specific assignment must also be followed. Final scores on an exam or assignment may be reduced or nullified for a student who engages in any of the misconduct or plagiarism proscribed above, which must also be reported to the University Disciplinary Board. The Board may issue formal warnings or disbar the student from studying at the university for a period of up to six months.

The grades given are Fail (U), and the passing grades Pass (B), Pass with credit (Ba) and Pass with distinction (AB).

Other directives

Delegations

It is delegated to the course director to issue the study plan and the literature list. These shall be annually submitted to the Teaching Committee as part of the course report.