Høst 2018

JUR-3910 Master's thesis in Law of the Sea - 30 stp

The course is administrated by

Det juridiske fakultet

Type of course

Master level students. The course is part of the Master of Laws programme in Law of the Sea

Course contents

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. In addition 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. When a master’s thesis is written by a group of students they will be trained in teamwork.

Admission requirements

Only students admitted to the Master of Laws programme in Law of the Sea may register for this course.

Objective of the course

Knowledge: Having passed the exam, the student 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: Having passed the exam, the student 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 and as complete manner as possible, with precise and verifiable use of references.
Produce a lager legal study on minimum 12 000 words and maximum 18 000 words.
Distinguish between legal doctrine analyses and normative discussions in legal presentations, including critical review of applicable law and discussions of need for revisions.
Present and communicate in writing legal arguments in a clear and precise manner to the academic community
Identify and understand the societal relevance of the legal research questions to be investigated

Language of instruction

English.

Teaching methods

The students are required to attend a mandatory course providing an introduction to writing a major paper and on scientific thinking (introductory course). The course includes both lectures and seminars. The students are entitled to supervision during the writing of the master’s thesis, cf. The Regulations § 18.

Assessment

The regulations on Master’s thesis are found in Fronter and on our web pages. The mandatory course does not include any examination. The master’s thesis shall be submitted within a fixed dead-line. 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 examinations at the University of Tromsø, Section 22. Before students can submit their thesis for examination 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.