Learning outcome

After completing the course, the students should have the following qualification regarding knowledge, skill and general competence:

• Knowledge in basic legal terminology, Norwegian environmental management, Norwegian law, as well as international environmental agreements. Also knowledge about environmental management and directives/regulations within EU is included. The students will also achieve broad knowledge about juridical basis for imposing a penalty and assessment of sentence in adjudicated environmental cases. Furthermore they will achieve knowledge about the history of the subject area, the distinctive character and its position in the society, where different sources of law and formal handling of cases, both within courts and within the environmental public administrative bodies, are central topics.
• Skill to apply their knowledge to assess juridical subjective and objective penalty criteria’s by use of wording of Acts and other sources of law.
• General competence to apply their juridical competence and skill on other environmental relevant problems other than what directly incorporated in the required reading. Furthermore they should to impart comprehensive independent work and master central terms within the special field, as well as analysing ethic problem for discussion within the field.

Course Description

The course deal with central juridical terms, Norwegian constitutional principles, source of law, the judicial system, environmental law, administration law and some criminal law. Measures and principals within both national and international environmental law are also incorporated. Central laws dealing with are: Public Administration Act, The Freedom of Information Act, The Planning and Building Act (The planning part), The Pollution Control Act, The Product Control Act and the Gene Technology Act, The Nature Biodiversity Act, The Cultural Monument Act, The Wild Game Act, The Outdoor Life Act, The Cultural Monument Act, The Road Traffic Act, The Motor Traffic on Uncultivated Land Scale Act, The Local Government Act. Also some current regulations are focused on as: Motor traffic on uncultivated land scale regulation and the Water frame directive regulation. The wording of the Acts has to be brought along under the final exam. Accordingly the students should get hold of the updated Norwegian Laws mentioned above. The texts are available at www.lovdata.no.

The students also have to carry out a group exercise where they write a report about nature and culture values in a free selected Norwegian municipality based on the electronic net database available. An oral presentation of the exercise in plenum is also obligatory.

Assessment Methods

A 5-hour examination in writing counts for 100% of the final grade. In addition the student must submit the group exercise/report in writing. This report will be evaluated passed/not passed. This must be passed to pass the course.

Minor adjustments may occur during the academic year, subject to the decision of the Dean