JUS5912 - Legal Writing and Oral Advocacy in International Law
Course content
Previous name of this course was International Law in Practice - Mock Trial
Along the lines of a fictitious case before the International Court of Justice, students will get to know the research methods in international law, the structure of legal argumentation, legal interpretation, good legal writing and oral advocacy skills. The course will also introduce how to approach questions in international law from the various perspectives: academic and lawyering. The course ends with a mock trial presentation before a bench of selected judges. Students will act in teams as either applicants or respondents or judges (if applicable) and be judged by international law experts.
Learning outcome
Students will be familiarized with research, writing and advocacy skills in the area of international law. The course focuses the practice of those skills: various small exercises (written or oral) will be conducted in class. Students will experience in-depth how international legal sources and methods are used and applied, how lawyers operate in international practice, and how arguments are similar or different depending on the forum.
Admission
Id does not exist in shared textAdmission is mandatory for students enrolled in the L.L.M. Public International Law
It is also open for students enrolled in the 5-years Master of Law (master i rettsvitenskap) at the University of Oslo. Students enrolled in the LL.M. programme in Public International Law will be given priority to this course.
The examination in this course is not available for external candidates. Only students admitted to the course may sit for the examination.
Prerequisites
Formal prerequisite knowledge
Students must fill one of these requirements:
- Passed 1st - 3rd year of studies in Master's of Law (masterstudiet i rettsvitenskap at UiO) or examinations that qualify for exemption from these) or
- Having a 5-years Master’s degree in Laws (masterstudiet i rettsvitenskap at UiO) or equivalent.
Students with admission to the faculty’s exchange programme and students with admission to any master’s degree programme at the University of Oslo (except masterstudiet i rettsvitenskap) has an exemption from the formal prerequisites.
Overlapping courses
10 credits overlap with JUR5912 - International Law in Practice - Mock Trial (discontinued).Teaching
Language of teaching for this course is English. This means that all communication during lectures/seminars will be in English, and all literature and auxiliary materials are in English.
Teaching will consist of seminars.
Access to teaching
Id does not exist in shared textExamination
The final grade consists of an oral presentation during the final seminar and one written assignment. The assignment will encompass solving problem based questions, i.e. writing briefs for a fictitious case.
More details about the written assignment will be published on the information page for this course (click on current semester).
Students who fail or do not deliver the assignment will not be allowed to take the oral exam.
Use of sources and rules for citing.
Be sure that you are familiar with the use of sources and the rules for citing/quoting from others’ work
UiO uses a plagiarism checking tool as one of several instruments for detecting suspicion of cheating and attempted cheating.
More details about the written assignment will be published on the information page for this course (click on current semester).
Examination support material
No examination support material is allowed.
Language of examination
Id does not exist in shared textEnglish.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about the grading system.
Explanations and appeals
You may request an explanation of your grades, and you may also appeal against your grades or make a complaint about formal examination errors. Read more about explanations and appeals.
Resit an examination
You can usually resit an exam, but the conditions depend on whether you had a valid reason for absence from the regular exam. Read more about resitting an exam.
Withdrawal from an examination
A student may sit this exam up to 3 times. If a student wishes to withdraw from the exam, s/he must do so in StudentWeb at least two weeks prior to the first day of the exam. Failure to do so will be counted as one of the three opportunities to sit the exam.
Special examination arrangements
If you have a disability or a health problem that entails significant inconvenience in an examination situation, you may be considered for special examination arrangements. Mothers who are breastfeeding may apply for extra time to complete the exam.
Evaluation
Feedback from our students is essential to us in our efforts to ensure and further improve the high quality of our programmes and courses. All courses are subject to continuous evaluation. At regular intervals we also ask students on a particular course to participate in a more comprehensive, periodic evaluation of this course.
Other
The language for this course is English. Students enrolled in Masterprogrammet i rettsvitenskap must pass one English subject as part of their degree, this course will meet these obligations.