RSOS2950 – Torture, Surveillance and Rights
Course description
Course content
Starting with philosophical reflections on the nature of torture and surveillance, the course takes you through ethical, historical, legal, and cultural aspects of intelligence gathering practices, with a special focus on torture and surveillance as information- and knowledge-producing strategies in “the war against terror”.
Learning outcome
Knowledge:
At the end of the course, you will have obtained knowledge of some of the most central questions and positions in contemporary debates about torture and surveillance:
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what is torture and can it ever be morally justified?
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what can we learn about torture and surveillance from the history of the social sciences, criminal justice and warfare?
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what are the limits and possibilities of contemporary surveillance practices in “the war against terror”?
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how should torture and surveillance be situated in a wider social and cultural context?
Skills
Students will:
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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;
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learn to compare and evaluate moral, political and legal ideals and proposals
Competences
Students will:
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enhance their capability to question and discuss urgent and sensitive aspects of contemporary social and political realities;
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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.
Overlapping courses
- 10 credits overlap with RSOS4950 – Torture, Surveillance and Rights
- 10 credits overlap with KRIM2950 – Torture, Terror and Rights (continued)
- 10 credits overlap with KRIM4950 – Torture, Terror and Rights (continued)
Teaching
Lectures.
Examination
Students are graded on the basis of a final 5-day take-home exam that you deliver electronically in Inspera.
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. Papers that exceed the 2400 word limit will be disallowed.
Any exam at the University of Oslo is being checked for both correct word count and incidents of cheating.
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English, and you can submit your response in English or Norwegian.
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.