General provisions

Determined on June 12, 2015, by Faculty of Law’s Teaching Committee, Uppsala University, by virtue of Chapter 6 Section 14 and 15 of the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100). The course plan enters into force in July 1, 2015.

General

The course Thesis covers 15 ECTS credits and is a compulsory course within the Master's Programme in Investment Treaty Arbitration approved September 3, 2012 by the Faculty Board of the Law Faculty, Uppsala University. The course is given as contract education by the department of Law, Uppsala University. The course is required to take 10 weeks of full time studies. The course is given in English.

The thesis can be combined with legal practice with for example courts or law firms.

Entry requirements

Be admitted to the Master Programme in Investment Treaty Arbitration.

Learning outcomes

The purpose of the course is to provide the student with deeper and more initiated knowledge in a selected topic of investment treaty arbitration. Furthermore, the purpose is for the student to develop the ability to conduct high-level research by practicing analytical skills, argumentation and legal method.

More specifically, in order to pass examination the student shall demonstrate:

Knowledge and understanding

• in-depth knowledge of the selected topic within investment treaty arbitration
• in-depth knowledge of the scientific and methodological foundations of investment treaty arbitration
• knowledge of current international legal research and methodology

Skills and abilities

• ability, at an advanced level, to assess and integrate knowledge of the legal aspects of investment treaty arbitration
• ability to identify legal problems and to systematize arguments, as well as to analyse, compare and assess theoretical and practical problems within investment treaty arbitration
• ability to plan and pursue qualified tasks within given time frames and to contribute to the development of knowledge as well assess the own performance
• ability to develop knowledge about investment treaty arbitration and its underlying theories and methods
• ability to weigh different legal sources and other relevant material against each other

Judgment

• insight regarding the role investment treaty arbitration plays in the interaction between states and individuals/groups and in the international community as a whole
• insight regarding the wider context of international investment law as a part of public international law
• ability to assess societal aspects of investment treaty arbitration
• ability to appreciate the advantages and disadvantages of investment treaty arbitration and its impact on states, corporate entities and natural persons.

Content

The thesis course includes writing a thesis and participating in mandatory seminars and, as the case may be, an approved legal practice.

Instruction

Instruction is given in the form of mandatory seminars and individual supervision. The seminars cover methodological aspects of legal research and ways of obtaining and evaluating material. The student must participate in all the mandatory seminars during the course. The course director may allow exceptions from this requirement.

Each student is assigned a supervisor. The student has the right to supervision.

The student has a right to individual supervision during the term s/he is initially registered for the Master's thesis course. In cases of re-registration, a supervisor is assigned only if there are special circumstances or if the supervisor has approved the extension.

Examination is in the form of the writing of a Master's thesis. The Master's thesis must be defended at a public thesis defence seminar where the thesis is presented and defended. Each student must be an opponent at another thesis defence seminar. The Master's thesis, the thesis defence seminar and the opposition are the three compulsory elements of the examination.

In order to fulfil the course the student is also required to have participated in two final thesis defence seminars of other students.

The thesis shall be handed in for publication in an electronic form after the final examination.

If the thesis includes practice, there shall be a specific mentor for the student with the practice.

Assessment

To receive the grade of approval, it is required that all mandatory requirements have been fulfiled. Grades on the course are based on the written thesis, cf. the teaching plan. The grades are not pass (U), and the passed grades B (approbatur), BA (non sine cum laude) and AB (cum laude). The criteria for the different grades follow from the teaching plan, which is decided by the course director.

The thesis can be written either individually or in a group. If it is written in a group, the contributions of each student should be identifiable.

The course director, or another person appointed by the course director, is the examiner. The supervisor may not be the examiner.

Other regulations

The course director may grant exemptions from particular requirements on the course.

The course director decides according to Chapter 6, Sections 6-8 of the Higher Education Ordinance on taking into account similar courses undertaken with other universities.

The course director can issue the teaching plan and rules on its application.

The final thesis shall be registered by the student in the Uppsala University electronic archive DiVA (Digitalt Vetenskapligt Arkiv).