autumn 2017 JUR-8004 Legal Communication and Writing - 6 ECTS

Type of course

Legal Science, Thesis Writing and Communication is one of six courses included in the compulsory component of the PhD programme.

Course content

The course covers the generally accepted starting points and principles for formulating legal texts. One of the questions that will be covered in this context is who is the recipient of a thesis.

The course will also cover questions of presentation in relation to the written work of the individual student.

Guidance on how researchers can communicate their research, including via the media, will also be provided in the course.


Objectives of the course

By participating in the course students will acquire knowledge about the requirements that apply to the formal formulation of written legal texts. These requirements concern in part the relationship between the use of headings, body text, indentation and footnotes. The students will also be trained in formulating legal tests that satisfy the review and readability requirements when building legal arguments. The students shall also learn to complete a legal research project in the form of an article suitable for publication.

Furthermore, the students shall become more aware of how the practical aspects of the writing process should be structured. This includes the relationship between structure and writing, as well as the relationship between writing for yourself and writing for a reader.

The students will be better equipped to communicate legal knowledge to society using media and other communication channels.


Language of instruction and examination

Norwegian and English

Teaching methods

The teaching consists of a combination of lectures and discussions in a seminar format, in addition to a writing course, project presentations, midway assessment and production of an article.

The PhD students are also encouraged to participate in disputations and trial lectures at the faculty or other educational institutes.


Assessment

The course has no formal examination. This must be viewed in the context of the students, after having completed all courses in the programme, submitting one or more pieces of work that will be assessed for a PhD degree in legal science by an assessment committee appointed by the faculty.

Attendance is compulsory and the teaching in the subject consists of:

A one-day seminar on scientific communication

Two writing courses (minimum of four hours per course) one of which must be connected to the legal article the student must write

At least three project presentations and one to two presentations of their own projects (minimum three hours per presentation)

Midway assessment

Writing a 15-20 page legal article that must, in form and content, be finished and suitable for publication in a legal journal, cf. the Programme Description for the PhD (philosophiae doctor) Degree at the Faculty of Law, section 10.

The students are expected to have familiarised themselves with any materials handed out in advance of the tuition, and to participate actively in discussions.


Recommended reading/syllabus

The student shall review a minimum of 300 pages of relevant academic literature in connection with preparation for, and completion of, the teaching in the course

 

Curriculum JUR-8004. part 1:

Legrand, P., Sigla Law (1995), International Journal of Legal Information (19 pp.).

Sandgren, C., Hänvisningar i rättsvetenskapen i Juridisk Tidskrift Nr. 1 2005-06 (21 pp.). - Also available in an English translation.

Zahle, H., At forske ret (2007), chapter 3 (24 pp.).

Chapter 12: Professionalism, Ethics, and Legal Issues pp. 123-136 of Davies, M. and Dunagan, K. J., 'Scientific papers and presentations' (2012), (13 pp.).

Den nasjonale forskningsetiske komité for samfunnsvitenskap og humaniora (NESH) Forskningsetiske retningslinjer for (...) juss (...) (2006), chapter D, No. 27-29 (1 pp.).

Forskrift (FOR-2012-10-25-1150) for graden philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) ved Universitetet i Tromsø, section 19 (1) (½ pp.).

Lov 30. juni 2006 nr. 56 om behandling av etikk og redelighet i forskning (forsknings-etikkloven), section 1 and section 5 2 para. (½ pp.).

Retningslinjer for Det juridiske fakultet i Tromsö (mai 2010): Nivået for juridiske doktorgrader ved det juridiske fakultet, UiT, chapter 5.3 Metode (1 pp).

Den nasjonale forskningsetiske komité for samfunnsvitenskap og humaniora (NESH) Forskningsetiske retningslinjer for (...) juss (...) (2006), chapter F, No. 42-45 (2 pp.).

Fakultetets Media och formidlingsstrategi 2010-2015 (5 pp.).

Zahle, H., At forske ret (2007), chapter 18, only pp. 399-400 Forskeren i medierne (2 pp.)

 

 

Reference literature:

Asp och Nuotio (red.) Konsten att rättsvetenskapa. Den tysta kunskapen i juridisk forskning (2004).

Hart Publishing Style Guidelines (2011).

Chapter 2: Getting started: Developing good writing habits pp. 29-44 of Nygaard, L. P., 'Writing for Scholars' (2008), (15 pp.).

OSCOLA - The Oxford Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities, 4 edn.

Phillips, E and Pugh, D. S., How to get a PhD. A handbook for students and their supervisors, 5 edn. (2010).

Universitetsforlaget, Veiledning om henvisninger m.m. i juridiske tekster (2006).

Zahle, H., At forske ret (2007).

Error rendering component

  • About the course
  • Campus: Tromsø |
  • ECTS: 6
  • Course code: JUR-8004