KRIM2950 – Torture, Terror and Rights
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
Starting with philosophical reflections on the nature of torture, the course takes you through ethical, historical, legal, and cultural aspects of torture, with a special focus on torture as an ingredient in “the war against terror”
Learning outcome
Knowledge:
At the end of the course, you will have obtained knowledge of the most central questions and positions in contemporary debates about torture:
- what is torture and can it ever be morally justified?
- what can we learn about torture from the history of the social sciences, criminal justice and warfare?
- is there any plausible legal distinction to be made between torture and so-called “enhanced interrogation techniques” in the “lawfare” against terror?
- how should torture properly be situated in a wider social and cultural context?
Skills
Students will:
- learn to interpret, analyze and critically discuss scholarly texts, official documents and cultural representations with a view to their possible implications for social and political practices;
- learn to compare and evaluate moral, political and legal ideals and proposals
Competences
Students will:
- enhance their capability to question and discuss urgent and sensitive aspects of contemporary social and political realities;
- enhance their capability to formulate and reflect on their own ideas of the legitimacy of means and ends in the (in)security state
Admission
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Prerequisites
Formal prerequisite knowledge
No obligatory prerequisites beyond the minimum requirements for entrance to higher education in Norway.
Overlapping courses
10 credits overlap with KRIM4950 – Torture, Terror and Rights (continued)
Teaching
Lectures
Examination
Students are graded on the basis of a 5-day take-home exam.
Size: Maximum 2400 words (roughly 6 pages). 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 2400 word limit.
The essays shall be handed in at the Information Centre at the Faculty of law in Domus Academica, Karl Johansgate 47 Bring two copies of your essay, remember to also bring your student card or some other kind of ID. The paper shall also be submitted in Fronter
Any exam at the University of Oslo are being checked for both correct word count and incidents of cheating.
Examination support material
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.
Explanations and appeals
Resit an examination
Withdrawal from an examination
It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.
Special examination arrangements
Application form, deadline and requirements for special examination arrangements.