URL study guide

https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2024-2025/R_RecPubL

Course Objective

(i) Subject-specific learning outcomes Students will have academic knowledge of and insight in the:
- Core doctrines and basics of the system of public law in the areas of: EU law, international law, human rights law, and constitutional and administrative law;
- Relation between international and domestic law, as well as the special position of European Union law;
- Legal considerations around matters of jurisdiction and competence. (ii) Academic learning outcomes Student will be able to:
- Critically reflect on and contextualize legal sources, detect structures of legal reasoning and distinguish between principled and peripheral matters of law;
- Identify different areas of public law and articulate similarities and differences between them;
- Offer interpretations of rules in light of changing circumstances. (iii) Social and communication learning outcomes Students will be able to:
- Present their analysis of jurisprudence or academic writings;
- Provide feedback on the work of other students;
- Find and select relevant legal rules and principles, jurisprudence and academic literature pertaining to international, European Union, human rights, constitutional and administrative law;
- Select reliable sources to solve and/or articulate a point of view in a case (study) in these areas of public law.

Course Content

In this course, students are called on to think through dilemmas of pursing justice for the public good. This entails developing a further familiarity with the basics of the system of public law and the different legal avenues that can be pursued to hold states to account. To concretize the strategic choices at stake in this area of law, students will engage with existing public interest litigation cases, concerning for example the bombing of an artillery factory in Hawija by Dutch armed forces, or EU and Italian support to the Libyan Coast Guard involved in 'pull-backs' of migrants on the Mediterranean Sea. Students will discuss issues like state responsibility, the relevance and role of democratic legitimation, the exercise of powers and judicial control or review, questions of jurisdiction and the comparative advantages of different legal fora, as well as alternative deliberative models and strategic litigation. Overall, the course ‘Recap: Public Law’ has a twofold objective. First, it serves to revisit and solidify students’ knowledge of the core foundations of public law within the domains of international law, European Union law, human rights law, constitutional law and administrative law. Second, it challenges students to both deepen and expand on their understanding of public law through engaging with a series of public interest litigation suits. The overarching aim of the course is to build an awareness of the structure of and between the different areas of public law and to foster students’ agility in ‘moving around’ this structure conceptually.

Teaching Methods

Weekly lectures and seminars.

Method of Assessment

The course is assessed through 2 assignments: one group assignment; and one individual assignment.

Literature

Weekly readings will be made available via Canvas.

Target Audience

The course is aimed for third year students of Law in Society.

Entry Requirements

At least 36 EC (6 courses) out of the following 8 educational components:
- Local theme: Defamation and Assault (6 ec)
- Global theme: Terrorism (6 ec)
- Local theme: Amsterdam and the Platform Economy (6 ec)
- Global theme: Multinationals and the Platform Economy (6 ec)
- Global theme: Global Migration Governance (6 ec)
- Local theme: Migration Law and the Nation State (6 ec)
- Global theme: Climate Change (6 ec) Local theme: (Un)sustainable Amsterdam (6 ec)
Academic year1/09/2431/08/25
Course level6.00 EC

Language of Tuition

  • English

Study type

  • Bachelor