COURSE: Constitutional Struggles in the Muslim World

 

Coursera.org provides interesting course 'Constitutional Struggles in the Muslim World'. The reader is Dr. Ebrahim Afsah. Dr. Afsah is an Associate Professor of Public International Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen.

This course is a survey of the constitutional ideas and institutions that have developed since the mid 19th century throughout predominantly Muslim countries, but its focus will lie on the actors that have dominated this discourse and shaped its outcomes. The participants will look at the large body of classical writings on the Islamic state only in so far as it is necessary to understand the contemporary debate, but concentrate on the legal and political developments of the 20th and 21st centuries.

The course will consist of lectures in short (10-15 min) videos, each of which will be followed by an exercise in which participants can test their grasp of the new material. The exercises will combine multiple-choice with essay-type questions.

Most lectures will be accompanied by written background material from the instructor which, hopefully, will eventually form the basis of a text-book. Participants are, therefore, welcome to give feedback in order to improve this material.

Topics: Introduction and General Overview, Classical Thinking on the Islamic State, Saudi Arabia and Gulf Monarchies, Egypt and North Africa, Consociational Dilemmas: Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, Malaysia and Indonesia, The Post-Communist Periphery: Bosnia to Soviet and Chinese Central Asia, Conclusion and Outlook.

Sessions: Dec 2nd 2013 (11 weeks long)

Further information can be found here.

 

EVENT: America's Unwritten Constitution on Coursera

Coursera.org provides free course of Akhil Reed Amar on American Unwritten Constitution.

Akhil Reed Amar is Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University, where he teaches constitutional law at both Yale College and Yale Law School.

This course is designed to introduce you to one of the most important texts in human history—the United States Constitution. Why and how did this document come into existence in the 1780s? How and why has it been amended over the years? Who decides what it means? What are the ground rules for proper constitutional interpretation? How does the written Constitution interact with unwritten sources of constitutional authority, such as judicial decisions, presidential proclamations, landmark statutes, and widespread popular understandings?

Sessions: January 2014 (12 weeks long)
Further information can be found here.
 

COURSE: International Criminal Law

ISISC’s 13th Specialization Course in International Criminal Law

 

The International Institute of Higher Studies in Criminal Sciences (ISISC) presents its 13th Specialization Course in International Criminal Law for Young Penalists, which will take place on May 19th-29th, 2013 in Siracusa, Italy.

 

Since 1972, ISISC has worked on international initiatives towards the advancement of human rights and rule of law in the world. Forty years later, the Institute continues to be at the forefront of contemporary human rights research, capacity building and advocacy. Furthermore, ISISC is particularly committed to the advancement and development of the next generation of human rights advocates through its specialization courses in legal doctrine and international criminal law.

 

One of the signature and most prominent activities ISISC organizes is the ICL Course, hosted annually at the Institute’s headquarters in Siracusa. This year’s course will address “The Future of International Criminal Law in the Era of Globalization”, and will take place from May 19th until May 29th.

 

COURSE: Commission on Legal Pluralism Course on Legal Pluralism

AN INTERNATIONAL COURSE ON LEGAL PLURALISM

1-4 AUGUST, 2013

UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER

Overview

In August 2013 the Commission on Legal Pluralism will organize a course in Manchester, UK, about theories, knowledge and methodologies of legal pluralism. The purpose of the 3½-day course, which precedes the IUAES 17th World Congress, is to familiarize the participants with the current international debates and insights in socio-legal studies and legal pluralism and to offer them a comparative perspective allowing them to rethink their own research and practical work. At the center of the discussion will be issues pertaining to rights protection, gender, natural resource management and land tenure, and dispute management in the context of globalizing economic, political and legal developments.

Participation is limited to 25 people to allow for maximum discussion. The participants are academics and/or practitioners, e.g. NGO activists or government officials, who deal with issues related to legal pluralism, informal justice systems and social justice in their academic or professional work. As in past courses (held amongst others in Wellington (New Zealand), Accra (Ghana), Williamsburg (USA), Moscow (Russia), Chiang Mai (Thailand), Fredericton (Canada), Jakarta (Indonesia), Zurich (Switzerland), and Cape Town (South Africa)) the teaching team will consist of senior academics of various backgrounds drawn from the Commission on Legal Pluralism and colleagues from the host country, in this case from the United Kingdom. The course will give participants an opportunity to discuss their work with fellow participants and the teaching staff, and directly engage with leading scholars and practitioners in their fields, allowing them to become part of a growing international network.

Topics for the course will include:

 Theoretical and methodological aspects of legal pluralism,

 Legal empowerment, gender and human rights,

 Natural resources management and governance,

 Land tenure and customary law,

 Rights of indigenous communities and economic development,

 Informal justice and policing,

 Access to justice, legal reform and the role of international development agencies.

Selection, Tuition, and Funding