Type of course

Master level students.

The course is part of the Master of Laws (LL.M) programme in Law of the Sea.

Admission requirements

The course is mandatory for students on the LL.M programme in Law of the Sea.

Only students admitted to the LL.M programme may register for this course.

Course content

The course builds on and is intended to develop the knowledge and skills acquired by the students during the previous courses of the programme, including the written assignments and methodological knowledge and skills. The purpose of the master's thesis is to provide the students with practice in processing and presenting lager legal or partly legal research questions, based on an independent analysis of theme and sources. The students shall write the thesis single-handed.

The master's thesis shall give an in-depth study within a particular topic. In taking advantage of the offer of supervision of their thesis students will practice in keeping with time table with several dead-lines before final submission of thesis.

Objectives of the course

Knowledge: 

A student who successfully completes this course shall have acquired:

• Advanced knowledge on processing and presenting larger legal or partly legal research questions.
• Advanced knowledge in legal methodology in order to undertake independent analysis of theme and sources, including advanced knowledge on the use of references to legal sources.
• Advanced knowledge within a particular theme within the law of the sea.
• Knowledge on ethical dilemmas in legal research.

Skills: 

A student who successfully completes this course shall be able to:

• Identify, formulate and discuss legal research questions on the basis of a larger set of sources, including the ability to split research questions into several sub-questions.
• Apply legal sources in a critical and independent way.
• Argue in a transparent, complete and balanced manner with precise and verifiable use of references. The argumentation shall be focused and relevant in relation to the legal research questions raised. Produce a lager legal study on minimum 37 pages and maximum 55 pages.
• Distinguish between legal doctrine analyses and normative discussions in legal presentations, including critical review of applicable law and discussions of need for revisions.
• Identify and understand the societal relevance of the legal research questions to be investigated.

General competence:

A student who successfully completes this course shall be able to:

• Apply knowledge and skills acquired in the process of researching and writing the master’s thesis, individually and in collaboration with others.
• Communicate legal arguments in a clear and precise language in writing within the discipline, and to the general public.
• Apply knowledge and skills acquired in the process of researching and writing the master’s thesis in relevant work assignments and projects.
• Identify and reflect upon issues concerning academic ethics in written presentations.
• Apply the above knowledge and skills to carry out large written assignments within prevailing time frames.

Language of instruction and examination

Teaching methods

This course uses interactive and dynamic teaching methods, comprising a total of 10 hours. The course includes both lectures and seminars. As part of the teaching methods is a mandatory course providing an introduction to writing a major paper and on scientific thinking. The students are required to attend this introductory course.

Students are required to submit a master’s thesis topic proposal to the Faculty of Law for approval within a fixed dead-line.

The students are entitled to 19 hours of individual supervision during the writing of the master's thesis, cf. the Regulations for the Master of Laws in Law of the Sea program § 15. The supervisors are primarily appointed amongst the staff from the Faculty of Law, but in special circumstances or due to their field of expertise, the Faculty may appoint external supervisors.

Assessment

The master’s thesis shall comply with the Regulations for the Master of Laws in Law of the Sea program Chapter 3 Master´s thesis available in Canvas, and on the UiT web pages.

Before students can submit their thesis for assessment they are required to have attended the introductory course. Exemption from the course may only be granted in special circumstances, based on a written application to the Faculty of Law.

The master's thesis shall be submitted for assessment no later than September 1 (or the first working day after, in case the September 1 is on a weekend). A thesis submitted for assessment may not be withdrawn.

The master’s thesis is assessed by two examiners to which at least one is external. The academic supervisor cannot be one of the examiners.

The grading scale of A to F is applied, where F constitutes fail. Students who fail their examination are entitled to re-submit the master's thesis, cf. regulations for studies and examinations at the University of Tromsø, Section 26.