General provisions

Determined on February 13, 2008 by Faculty of Law's Teaching Committee, Uppsala University, by virtue of Chapter 2 Section 5 a of the Higher Education Act and Chapter 6 Section 14 and 15 of the Higher Education Ordinance. The course plan enters into force on February 14, 2008.

In General

The course is 15 university points (15 ECTS credits) and an optional course at advanced level in the studies for the degree of Master of Laws, according to the degree requirements adopted 16 April 2007 by the Board of the Faculty of Law of Uppsala University. The course is held in English.

Entry requirements

In general, Swedish students must have attained five passes out of the six courses given at basic level of the LL.M programme. All the obligatory phases of the course in which the student has not attained a pass must have been fulfilled.

If special reasons exist the board of exemption may grant exemption from the acceptance requirements.

Foreign students shall have a passing grade from an exam in a basic course in the subject constitutional law.

Learning outcomes

Students, after having completed the course should have:

Knowledge of the basic principles of US constitutional law.

Improved spoken and written communicative skills in the English language.

An improved ability to evaluate, orally and in writing, comparative legal issues.

An improved ability to research independently legal problems related to US constitutional law.

Basic knowledge of the case method of instruction.

Content

The course constitutes a basic introduction to the following topics in US law:

1) The structure and jurisdiction of federal and state courts;

2) The allocation of governmental power in a federal system;

3) Basic rights and privileges arising under the federal constitution; and

4) The common law system of adjudication.

Instruction

The teaching is mainly in the form of seminars and lectures. The course is taught in English. All lectures and seminars is compulsory. If special reasons exist, the teacher responsible for the course may exempt a student from the attendance requirement. Each student must actively participate in the teaching, by preparing for the seminars and actively taking part in the seminar discussions. Presentation of four short (1-3 pages) written assignments is also required.

The required preparation for the seminars consists of the literature for the course as a whole, and whatever special reading instructions are given for each seminar.

Assessment

Grades for the course will be based on class attendance and participation, the three written assignments, and the final examination. The distribution of points for the different course elements is as follows: Class Attendance and Participation, 30 points, Written Assignment 1, 10 Points, Written Assignment 2, 15 points, Written Assignment 3, 30 points, Final Examination 100 points, Total, 185 points. If a student fails the course, a written or oral (at the discretion of the examiner) re-take examination will be arranged. Essays must be the individual work of the student. Cooperation with other students in the writing of essays is not permitted. Where plagiarism or cooperation in the writing of essays is proved, disciplinary measures will be taken in accordance with University rules.

The grades given are Fail (U), and the passing grades Pass (B), Pass with credit (Ba) and Pass with distinction (AB).