JUS5503 – Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism: Striking a Balance?

Schedule, syllabus and examination date

Course content

This class will examine the evolving legal framework for balancing counter-terrorist and counter violent extremism actions and policies with human rights. Students will study normative instruments from the UN Global Counter-Terrorist Strategy and regional counter-terrorist institutions and juxtapose them with human rights standards and case law. The root causes of radicalization will be presented as well as the definition and elements of terrorism. The state`s prevention and response strategies will be studied, including the application of states of emergency, tracking the financing of terror and application of sanctions, as well as the consequences of arbitrary detention and deportation. Dilemmas resulting from conflicting interpretation of the scope of freedom of expression and freedom of association, the interface of surveillance with privacy rights, the role of women, and the impact on children`s rights will be examined

For students enrolled in Rettsvitenskap (jus) (master): Have you considered a specialization as part of your degree? The course is part of the profile Internasjonal rett og menneskerettigheter.

Learning outcome

See learning outcome for JUS5503

Admission to the course

You may register for this course if you have admission to a Master’s programme at UiO or the faculty's exchange programme and meet the formal prerequisites.?

Have you met the formal prerequisites at another institution than the University of Oslo, and the results are not formally registered at UiO, you must apply for?admission to courses at Master’s level?(information in Norwegian only). Students with admission to Master’s degree programmes at other faculties than The Faculty of Law must also apply for admission.?

All students are required to meet the formal prerequisites.?

When your admission is in order you must register for courses in StudentWeb.

Formal prerequisite knowledge

Students must fill?one of these requirements:

  • Passed 1st - 3rd year of the 5-years degree Master of Laws (Master i rettsvitenskap?at UiO) (or exams that qualify for exemption for these)?or

  • Hold a 5-years Master’s degree in Laws (Master i rettsvitenskap at UiO) or equivalent.

Exemptions from the formal prerequisites will be given to students with admission to the faculty's own exchange or master’s degree programmes. This rule does not apply to students with admission to other master’s degree programmes at the University of Oslo, unless otherwise agreed.

An understanding of international law, the substance of individual human rights, and structures of major international organizations are recommended. This is an advanced course that builds upon these foundational elements.

Overlapping courses

Teaching

Compulsory activity (approved/not approved)

Individual Memo No. 1: 1500- 2000 words including footnotes.?

Class Debate participation on the scope of freedom of expression in the context of counter-terrorism and counter-extremism.

See further information in Canvas.

Examination

Students are graded on the basis of an individual Memo No. 2.

Mandatory requirements must be approved before one can sit for an exam.

The memos are part of a group presentation?delineating recommendations for how to incorporate human rights within counter-terrorism/counter-extremism practice:??6 students per group, each group should select a different human rights topic to be approved by Professor Bailliet on the first day of class. Each group can give?a ten minute presentation on the last day of class.?Students will submit individual memos which may be based on interviews with police or intelligence officers, human rights NGOs, and/or desk study of reports or international, regional, or national case law, and reference to relevant human rights instruments.?

Maximum length for the memo is 4000 words. Front page, contents page (optional) and bibliography are not included. If footnotes are used in the text (at the bottom of each page), they are included in the 4000 word limit.?

Papers that exceed the 4000 word limit may be rejected.?

See evaluation criteria for the Memos

You must familiarize yourself with the rules that apply to exam support materials, and?the use of sources and citations. If you violate these rules, you may be suspected of cheating or attempted cheating.?You can read about what the university considers cheating, and the consequences of cheating here.

Examination support material

All available exam resources are allowed when answering this exam. Rules for source referencing are crucial for determining whether the use of resources is permitted

Your exam paper must be an independent work. Exam candidates are not permitted to communicate with other persons about the exam question(s) or distribute draft answers or exam answers.

Guidelines on the use of?Artificial Intelligence (AI) in exams:

If all exam support materials and resources are permitted, and the responsible teacher does not specify otherwise, the following applies to the use of AI during exams:

It is permitted to use artificial intelligence as an aid for:

  • Checking spelling and grammar, as long as this does not lead to substantial changes in the text's content.
  • Finding source material.

Text and other material that are generated entirely or partially using artificial intelligence are not considered the candidate's own work. If you use artificial intelligence to produce any part of the work you submit, you must therefore cite this in your paper. It must also be clearly stated how you have used the specific AI tool. If you do not reference correctly, you may be?suspected of cheating.

Candidates should also familiarize themselves with?information regarding ethical considerations and social responsibility in regard to the the use of AI, as well as the?University’s website on how to use AI as a student.

Language of examination

The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.

Guidelines for the evaluation of grades at The Faculty of Law.

Resit an examination

In case of resitting the exam in this subject, you must fulfill all parts of the portfolio again.

More about examinations at UiO

You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.

Last updated from FS (Felles studentsystem) June 27, 2025 9:00:40 AM

Facts about this course

Level
Master
Credits
10
Teaching
Autumn
Examination
Autumn
Teaching language
English

Contact

The Information Centre at The Faculty of Law