HUMR5190 - Research Methodology and Thesis Development
(plan revised 5 October 2007)
Course content, lecture plan, required reading
Instructors: Nils Butenschøn, Maria Lundberg, Jan Helgesen, Betty Haugen, Kristine Mesgrahl.
Course content
The course will give you insight into research methodologies in legal and social sciences relevant for writing a thesis in the field of human rights. It will discuss basic issues and controversies in the conduct of scholarly research, and will offer you necessary tools and guidelines for researching and writing a good scholarly thesis based on independent thinking and sound argument.
Students writing their thesis in the field of social sciences should also be given insight in legal methods, and students writing their thesis in the field of law should also be given insight into social science.
The course will further allow you to develop and discuss your thesis topic. You will be expected to develop a preliminary draft that includes your thesis problem stated succinctly, its background and importance, its relation to international human rights, an introduction to your research agenda, any preliminary conclusions, a draft outline, and a bibliography.
Learning outcomes
This course has a dual objective;
(a)assisting you in further refining your own thesis project
(b)provide good understanding of methodological issues
The preparation of your thesis project will demonstrate your ability to critically analyze and address methodological questions. When this course is finished, you will have further developed your project and improved your ability to complete it.
Teaching - time and place
Lectures
Lectures are held in the lunch room, 4th floor, Norwegian Centre of Human Rights, Universitetsgt. 22-24, 10:15-12:00.
Wednesday 22 August:
Introduction to the course. Thesis writing: a) Formal requirements, b) What is an academic work?
Butenschøn, Lundberg, Lindholm
Reading: Handouts and student handbook
Friday 24 August:Exploring the sources and using them in the thesis.
Betty Haugen and Kristine Mesgrahl.
Friday 7 September: Human rights and the social sciences.
Nils Butenschøn, Bård Anders Andreassen
Reading: Freeman, chapter 5; Andreassen.
Wednesday 12 September: Comparative politics and human rights I.
Todd Landman
Reading: Landman
Friday 14 September: Comparative politics and human rights II.
Todd Landman
Reading: Landman
Friday 14 September (extra 13.15-15.00): Advancing human rights standards: Some practical experience from the UN system.
Asbjørn Eide
Wednesday 28September: Human rights. The promise of interdisciplinarity.
Nils Butenschøn
Reading: Freeman, chapters 3 and 4.
Wednesday 10 October:NB! 9:15-13 , the seminarroom NCHR
i) Lecture; International law: Problems and process.
ii) Student Theses: Legal questions.
The meaning of this seminar is to give you the opportunity to present legal aspects of your thesis, and discuss it with the teacher and fellow students: it is a venue for you to discuss legal aspects of your thesis that might be important, as many of you have questions about it already.
Maria Lundberg.
Thursday 11 October: Sources of international law.
Jan Helgesen
Friday 12 October:Domestic implementation.
Jan Helgesen.
Friday 12 October: (extra 13.15-15.00):Exploring and using the sources: Hands-on training.
Betty Haugen and Kristine Mesgrahl. (Note: Instructions will be given in a computer room to be announced).
Wednesday 17 October, 14:15-16, the lunch room:Different methods to approach international law. An overview.
Maria Lundberg.
Seminar/Thesis Workshops:
A seminar for discussion of thesis outlines will be organised on Mondays at 15:15-16.00, meeting room at the 4th floor, the following days:
- Monday Oct. 8: Andreas Kiaby
- Monday Oct. 15: Tara Smith
- Monday Oct. 22: Abraham Narh, Jiang Tao
- Monday Oct. 29: Jyldyz Moldalieva, Kadek Marniari and Yodit Mekuria
- Monday Nov. 5: Lydia Johansen, Cheng Li
Students will present a small paper (approx. 2 pages) outlining questions related to research questions and methods. The seminar will be supervised by Nils Butenschøn.
Written assignment handed out 4 September. To be submitted 15 Nov.
Syllabus/achievement requirements (HUMR5190 - Autumn 2007)
Required reading: *
(1) Methods in international human rights law:
Books marked with an * can be purchased from Akademika bookstore. Compendium: The rest of the articles are in a compendium which can be purchased in Akademika bookstore.
Boyle, Alan, “Soft Law in International Law-Making”, in International Law. 2nd edition, Malcolm D. Evans (ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006, pp.141-158 (18 pp).
* Cassese, Antonio, International Law, 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005, Chapter 11: “The Hierarchy of Rules in International Law: The role of Jus Cogens”; Chapter 12: “The Implementation of International Rules within National Systems”, pp. 198-212, 213-237 (40 pp).
* Higgins, Rosalyn, Problems and Process. International Law and How We Use It, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994, Chapter 1-3: “The Nature and Function of International Law, Sources of International Law: Provenance and Problems, Participants in the International Legal System”; Chapter 6-7: “Responding to Individual Needs: Human Rights, Self-Determination”, pp. 1-55, 95-128 (89 pp).
Slaughter, Anne-Marie and Ratner, Steven, “Symposium on Method in International Law. Appraising the Methods of International Law: A Prospectus for Readers”, AJIL, 1999, Vol. 93, No.2, pp. 291-423 (133 pp).
Thirlway, Hugh, “The Sources of International Law”, in International Law. 2nd edition, Malcolm D. Evans (ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006, pp.115-140 (26 pp).
Subtotal: 306 pp.
(2) Human rights in the social sciences:
Andreassen, B. A., “Political Science, Human Rights and the Right to Food Discourse”, in Food and Human Rights Development, Eide, Wenche Barth and Kracht, Uwe (eds.), Antwerpen - Oxford, Intersentia, 2005, pp. 81-105 (24 pp.)
* Freeman, Michael, Human rights: An interdisciplinary approach, Cambridge: Polity Press, 2002:32-100. (67 pp.)
* Landman, Todd, Protecting Human Rights. A Comparative Study, Washington, D.C.: GeorgetownUniversity Press 2005. (Chapters 1-7, 171 pp).
UNDP, Indicators for Human Rights Based Approaches to Development in UNDS Programming: A User’s Guide, New York: UNDP 2006. (23 pp.).
Subtotal: 285 pp.
In total: 591 pp.
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