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Security and the Rule of Law

Vak
2015-2016

Admission requirements

Course for students enrolled in master program Crisis and Security Management

Description

Security and crisis management without the rule of law puts democratically ruled states at risk. This because social control, including the legitimate monopoly over the use of force, requires proper checks and balances. Yet what constitutes the legal framework for governing security? What are the different roles and responsibilities of institutions that enforce the law, provide for security, ensure safety or tackle crisis in a democratic society? And, have (inter)national approaches to security governance significantly changed over the last decade? Practises such as targeted governance, anticipatory justice and risk management increasingly affect how state accountability and human rights compliance is ensured?

This course familiarises students with the rule of law framework. From a political and legal-sociological perspective it addresses how political and legal institutions should govern security, guarantee safety or handle crises, while simultaneously protecting the rule of law in a democratic society. As an introduction, the students learn about basic concepts and theory used in mainstream legal and security governance literature. Such lines of thought are then expanded to cover the functioning of the rule of law in the field of security and crisis management. Key theoretical topics include the concept of law and legal systems, the organization of law, law making, social control and dispute resolution. Students apply the acquired theoretical knowledge to case studies about security governance dilemmas including the distinct roles of law enforcement – and intelligence agencies, incident- and risk management, the development of the information government (i-government) versus the surveillance society and the impact of security measures on minority communities.

Course objectives

  • To provide students with skills which help them to analyse the complex and ever-changing relationship between the rule of law and security.

  • To provide students with theoretical notions and practical examples in order to better understand the essence of the rule of law and security.

  • To present and criticise factors that contributes to the ever-changing relationship between the rule of law and security.

Timetable

Timetable

Mode of instruction

Seven lectures and guest lectures
This course is compulsory.

Course Load

Total study load 140 hours
– contact hours: 21
– self-study hours: reading, preparing lectures, assignments, etc 119

Assessment method

  • Quality of participation during classes and Moot Court Assignment (equals 20% of the total grade.

  • Written exam (equals 80% of the total grade).

Failed partial grades weighing less than 30% should be compensated by a passed partial grade weighing more than 30%. The calculated grade must be at least 5,50 in order to pass the course.

The resit exam takes the same form.

You can find more information about assessments and the timetable exams on the website.
Details for submitting papers (deadlines) are posted on Blackboard.
On the Public Administration front page of the E-guide you will find links to the website, uSis and Blackboard.

Resit
Students will be permitted to resit an examination if they have taken the first sit and have a mark lower than 5.5 or with permission of the Board of Examiners.

Resit written exam
Students that want to take part in a resit for a written exam, are required to register via uSis. Use the activity number that can be found on the ‘timetable exams’.

Blackboard

Yes, course will be available one week in advance.

Reading list

A selection of articles. To be announced on blackboard.

Registration

Use both uSis and Blackboard to register for every course.
Register for every course and workgroup via uSis. Some courses and workgroups have a limited number of participants, so register on time (before the course starts). In uSis you can access your personal schedule and view your results. Registration in uSis is possible from four weeks before the start of the course.
Also register for every course in Blackboard. Important information about the course is posted here.

Contact

All communication should be directed to Quirine Eijkman. Please send your email to
q.eijkman@cdh.leidenuniv.nl

Remarks