One of the core LawTransform’s activities is using knowledge produced by research projects based at the centre to improve courses taught at the University of Bergen. On this page you will find the course program and reading list for such courses, at the bachelor’s level.
COURSE SPRING 2025
GOV216: Constitutions, Courts and Politics (University of Bergen, the Faculty of Social Sciences, the department of Government and the Faculty of Law).
The course is an interdisciplinary project between the Faculty of Social Sciences, the department of Government and the Faculty of Law, and addresses the topic both from a legal and a social science perspective.
The course will introduce students to ongoing research on central aspects of constitutional development and the political role of courts and bring students up to date on the frontiers of research and literature in the field, encourage active participation and independent thinking in engaging with the issues, and provide a forum for students to exchange ideas and reflections. Through this course the student will gain an overview of the research literature on the Norwegian constitution, and the relationship between rule of law and democracy in Norway and compared with a selection of other countries. A constitution is an outcome of political activity, and at the same time it constitutes rules and arenas for politics, establishing the boundaries for all branches of the state, including the parliament, the central administrative apparatus and the courts. The students will engage with the main theoretical perspectives to understand the dilemmas involved in securing the rule of law in a modern state, and the checks and balances between the executive, the legislator and the courts.
PREVIOUS COURSES
Spring 2022
JUS286-2-A/AORG216: Constitution and Politics (University of Bergen, Faculty of Law and Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Administration and Organization Theory)
Spring 2020
Constitution and Politics (University of Bergen – Faculty of Law and Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Comparative Politics)
Courts, Law and Politics (University of Bergen – Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Comparative Politics)
To find out more about previous courses, email mathea.loen@uib.no