"Be you so high, the law is above you." This principle, part of the Rule of Law, has come to represent the powerful idea that even politicians and monarchs are bound by the law. However in an age of powerful corporations, international cyber-crime and popular support for authoritarian leaders, the Rule of Law is under threat worldwide.
This course, run by the Bingham Centre of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law, will provide an introduction to headline issues around the Rule of Law. Each week we will tackle aspects of the Rule of Law and discuss how they are impacted by current events. The course will use video lectures, recommended reading, discussion questions and activities to enable you to develop your own perspective on the Rule of Law. Though this course sits at the intersection of law and politics, participants do not require any formal educational background in either of these subjects to join. The course will take place over 6 weeks with approximately 3 hours of content each week.
Welcome to the first week of the course. Week 1 is an overview of the headline debates concerning the Rule of Law and a discussion of how it applies in practice today. You will be taken through a historical account of the development of the principle over time from Aristotle’s first statement of the Rule of Law to the modern work of the Bingham Centre. This teaching session will also serve as an introduction to debates about the requirements of the Rule of Law, i.e. whether it passes judgment on if particular decisions are “good” or “bad” and whether human rights are part of the Rule of Law.
Welcome to Week 1 Introduction to the Rule of Law•2 minutes
Aristotle and the Rule of Law•4 minutes
Montesquieu and the Separation of Powers•4 minutes
A.V. Dicey and the Rule of Law•4 minutes
Lord Bingham's Conception of the Rule of Law•5 minutes
What Can We Expect From the Rule of Law?•5 minutes
11 readings•Total 134 minutes
Overall Syllabus and Learning Objectives•10 minutes
Why is "Citizenship" attached to a course on "the Rule of Law?"•10 minutes
Welcome to Week 1!•5 minutes
Bingham Centre Founding Director Sir Jeffrey Jowell QC further explains the Rule of Law•7 minutes
Creation of the Rule of Law•1 minute
Other Contributions•10 minutes
Differences Between Dicey and the Rule of Law Today•10 minutes
"The Rule of Law", Sir David Williams Lecture by Lord Bingham•26 minutes
Lord Bingham's Eight Rule of Law Principles•10 minutes
A Universal Secular Religion: International Ideas•20 minutes
Interview with Bingham Centre Director, Murray Hunt•25 minutes
2 assignments•Total 60 minutes
A.V. Dicey's Rule of Law•30 minutes
Week 1 Quiz•30 minutes
2 discussion prompts•Total 40 minutes
Welcome to Citizenship and the Rule of Law!•20 minutes
My Rule of Law•20 minutes
Judges: Independence, Tenure and Appointment
Module 2•3 hours to complete
Module details
Welcome to the second week of the course. Week 2 will focus on processes for the selection and appointment of judges, the importance of public confidence in the judiciary and the role that judges play in securing the Rule of Law.
What's included
2 videos3 readings1 assignment
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2 videos•Total 15 minutes
Why are Independent Judges Important for the Rule of Law?•7 minutes
A Job For Life? Security of Tenure•7 minutes
3 readings•Total 150 minutes
Essential reading on judicial independence, appointment and tenure•70 minutes
What Do We Expect of Judges?•40 minutes
Nurturing, recruiting and promoting independent judges•40 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Week 2 Quiz•30 minutes
What does it mean to be equal before the law?
Module 3•3 hours to complete
Module details
Welcome to the third week of the course. Week 3 will establish that all must be treated equally before the law. The session will discuss contentious situations in which treating people equally requires that they be treated differently in order to give effect to justice, such as the limited range of sanctions available to criminals convicted as children.
Issues in equality: Stop and Search Part 1•10 minutes
Issues in equality: Stop and Search Part 2•15 minutes
Issues in equality: Stop and Search Part 3•20 minutes
Issues in equality: Stop and Search Part 4•15 minutes
South Africa Post-Apartheid Part 1•7 minutes
South Africa Post-Apartheid Part 2•4 minutes
Relevant cases•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 34 minutes
What do you think?•20 minutes
Week 3 Quiz•14 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 25 minutes
Equality – a question for us to consider.•25 minutes
Access to Justice
Module 4•4 hours to complete
Module details
Welcome to the fourth week of the course. Week 4 looks at a number of other barriers that individuals face in enforcing their legal rights. One of the concepts explored will be ‘legal capability’. This is defined as the knowledge, skills and confidence required to resolve legal problems in life. Students will be presented with a range of initiatives undertaken by civil society to improve legal capability and will produce their own ideas about improving access to justice across the world.
What's included
5 videos6 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt
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5 videos•Total 136 minutes
Barriers to Law•5 minutes
Legalese and Legal Aid•3 minutes
OPTIONAL VIDEO- Five Years of Public Legal Education•122 minutes
Alternative Dispute Resolution and Online Justice•2 minutes
Rule of Law Implications of Artificial Intelligence•3 minutes
6 readings•Total 85 minutes
Legal Empowerment•10 minutes
Legal Capability•15 minutes
Online Judging and Extended Courts•10 minutes
E-Government•10 minutes
Algorithms, mind control and the right to freedom of thought•10 minutes
Disinformation technology and "fake news"•30 minutes
1 assignment•Total 20 minutes
Week 4 Quiz•20 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
Tell us a bit about access to justice where you are!•10 minutes
An International Rule of Law
Module 5•4 hours to complete
Module details
Welcome to the fifth week of the course. Week 5 will introduce students to the international legal order and regional human rights conventions. The week will start with a potted summary of the development of the United Nations. The second portion of session will focus on human rights law. Course leads will discuss universal and regional human rights frameworks including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the American Convention on Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights and speak to examples of non-compliance in respect of each of these and how they are enforced. The course team would like to give special thanks to Hector Tejero Tobed and Iris Anastasiadou for their help in compiling video scripts and content for this week of the course.
What's included
4 videos9 readings2 assignments
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4 videos•Total 21 minutes
Introduction•2 minutes
Sources of International Law•9 minutes
Remedies and Complaints•7 minutes
Treaty Bodies and Committees•3 minutes
9 readings•Total 169 minutes
Introduction to International Law•7 minutes
Introduction to International Human Rights•10 minutes
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights•20 minutes
Regional structures of International Law•30 minutes
Thinking about remedies•10 minutes
December 2019- Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (The Gambia v. Myanmar)•30 minutes
State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi's speech before the International Court of Justice on 11 December 2019•20 minutes
Application by the Gambia instituting proceedings and request for provisional measures•20 minutes
Interview with war crimes prosecutor Arthur Traldi•22 minutes
2 assignments•Total 56 minutes
Questions about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights•30 minutes
Week 5 Quiz•26 minutes
Business, Human Rights and the Rule of Law
Module 6•2 hours to complete
Module details
Welcome to Week Six of the course. Week 6 delves into the Rule of Law questions raised by the potential impacts of business operations on the human rights of their employees, populations of countries they are based in and other community stakeholders. This week will provide a background and history of this new and dynamic area, and describe how all eight of Bingham’s Rule of Law Principles are engaged in this discussion. The session will consider how the three pillars of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights are founded on basic principles of the Rule of Law. You will be presented with real-life current examples of how these principles apply in practices. Examples discussed will include: Recent case law which expands traditional legal tests to stay up to date with modern-day cross-border business operations; Calls for and against regulation of the internet, in light of increasing examples of harmful content, privacy breaches and other human rights impacts of tech giants; Discussion of how companies undertake due diligence for human rights in their global supply chains,Presentation of the challenges in this area from a Rule of Law perspective. Rule of Law principles such as access to remedies and legal certainty will be recurring themes. The session will also illustrate some “myth-busting” examples regarding assumptions about the Rule of Law's universality.
What's included
7 videos1 reading1 assignment1 discussion prompt
Show info about module content
7 videos•Total 22 minutes
Introduction•1 minute
Recent Legal Developments•4 minutes
An Abridged History of Business and Human Rights•3 minutes
The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights•2 minutes
Questions of Regulation and the Internet Sector•5 minutes
Challenges and developing practices in global supply chains•4 minutes
Well Done!•2 minutes
1 reading•Total 70 minutes
Essential reading on Business and Human Rights•70 minutes
1 assignment•Total 40 minutes
Week 6 Quiz•40 minutes
1 discussion prompt
Next Steps•0 minutes
Instructor
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The British Institute of International Law website can be found at biicl.org.
What is the Bingham Centre set up to achieve?
The Bingham Centre works to make the Rule of Law a practical and tangible entitlement of all across the world.
Are there opportunities for me to follow the Bingham Centre?
The Bingham Centre is active on social media at https://twitter.com/binghamcentre. Sign up for our newsletter too here: https://binghamcentre.biicl.org/enews-signup
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.