General provisions

Determined on October 8, 2019 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 November 1, 2019.

In General

The course is 15 university points (15 ECTS credits) and a course at advanced level in the studies for the degree of Master of Laws (120 ECTS credits), according to the degree requirements adopted on May 21, 2018, by the Board of the Faculty of Law of Uppsala University. The course is held in English.

Entry requirements

Be admitted to the Nordic Master Program in Environmental Law (NOMPEL).

Learning outcomes

After completing the course the students shall have the ability to describe and critically analyse the central elements covered by the course. The students will be able to identify and understand the main features in international, EU and Nordic environmental law on biodiversity protection and resource management. The course will give the students an improved ability to analyse, evaluate and raise questions about conflicting interests in, and the relation between, conservation and use of natural resources. It will also provide the students with a good ability to present and explain - orally and in writing - complicated legal and factual issues to a well-informed audience.

Grading criteria

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

For the grade "B", the student is required to achieve all the learning outcomes in a descriptive, summary, thoughtful and analytical fashion.

For the next grade "Ba", in addition to the requirements for grade "B", the student is required to demonstrate the capability of taking an analytical approach through structured, independent and critical thinking.

For the highest grade, "AB", in addition to the requirements for grade "Ba", the student must demonstrate good analytical skills through well-structured, well-thought thoughts and critical thinking, enabling him/her to take positions based on convincing arguments and a high degree of independence.

Content

The course objective is to provide an introduction to the law on effective management of natural resources, including the protection of biodiversity. Knowledge will be given about the centerpieces in international and EU law on biodiversity protection and natural resource management, and how these have influenced Nordic environmental law. An overview of the legal approaches used in the different Nordic states will be provided for.

With special focus on the various interests affected, the relation between the management of natural resources (forest, water, wind etc.) and the conservation of biodiversity will be discussed. In addition, the challenges of conflicting conservation objectives will be addressed.

Instruction

The course is based on a high degree of student participation. Teaching is mainly in the form of lectures and seminars. All seminars are mandatory. The pedagogical approach is based on problem solving and active student participation. Students are expected to participate actively by preparing for seminars in groups of three to five students and present their answers at the seminar and discuss them with fellow students and the teacher. The role of the teacher is limited to a supervisory role and ensuring that the discussion is kept at an appropriately high level.

Assessment

In order to pass the course the students must actively participate in all compulsory parts of the course. The examination takes the form of a written paper and a written test at the end of the course. On extraordinary reasons a student will be able to perform the final exam in another way, for example at an oral exam. The grades given for the course are Fail (U), Pass (B), Pass with credit (Ba), and Pass with distinction (AB). In order to pass the course, all the obligatory phases of the course must be completed. For students who fail, opportunities for re-examination are provided.

The examination is a so-called open book test which means that all course material may be used.

It is prohibited to attempt to use deceptive means to influence the outcome of an exam or other ways of evaluating student performance such as essays. This entails inter alia the following points. A student may not use non-permitted aids or materials during a written examination. It is prohibited to pass off another person's work as one's own work, in other words, to engage in plagiarism. See the specific instructions given in each course in this respect. In addition to the result of the exam or other way of evaluating student performance being reduced or declared null, a student who, in the above or other ways engages in cheating will be reported to the University Disciplinary Board. The Board can issue formal warnings or disbar the student from studying at the university for a period of up to six months.

Other regulations

Delegations

It is delegated to the course director to issue the study plan and the literature list. These shall be annually submitted to the Teaching Committee as part of the course report.