4.8
stars
390 ratings

Michael Abiodun Olatokun

16,589 already enrolled

Offered By

Citizenship and the Rule of Law

University of London

About this Course

42,915 recent views

"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.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

No educational background is required. An interest in current affairs, the rule of law or politics will enable you to get the most out of the course.

Approx. 21 hours to complete

English

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What you will learn

By the end of this course, you should be able to engage critically with the core requirements of the Rule of Law
By the end of this course, you should be able to explain why and how the Rule of Law is best protected
By the end of this course, you should be able to apply Rule of Law principles to issues in everyday life
By the end of this course, you should be able to construct and evaluate arguments about justice

Skills you will gain

Legal Terminology
Participatory Politics
Legal Analysis
Common Law
Civic Engagement

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

No educational background is required. An interest in current affairs, the rule of law or politics will enable you to get the most out of the course.

Approx. 21 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.8/5 (143 Ratings)

Michael Abiodun Olatokun

Research Fellow in Citizenship and The Rule of Law; Head of Public and Youth Engagement

The Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law

16,589 Learners

1 Course

Offered by

University of London

The University of London is a federal University which includes 17 world leading Colleges. With extensive experience in distance learning since 1858, University of London has enriched the lives of thousands of students, delivering high quality degrees across the globe. Today, University of London is a global leader in flexible study, offering degree programmes to over 45,000 students in over 190 countries, delivering world-leading research across the world. To find out more about University of London, visit www.london.ac.uk

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating99%(3,117 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

4 hours to complete

A Potted History of the Rule of Law

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.

4 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 30 min), 11 readings, 2 quizzes

9 videos

Citizenship and the Rule of Law2mBackground and Context2mSyllabus and Learning Objectives1mWelcome to Week 1 Introduction to the Rule of Law2mAristotle and the Rule of Law4mMontesquieu and the Separation of Powers3mA.V. Dicey and the Rule of Law3mLord Bingham's Conception of the Rule of Law5mWhat Can We Expect From the Rule of Law?4m

11 readings

Overall Syllabus and Learning Objectives10mWhy is "Citizenship" attached to a course on "the Rule of Law?"10mWelcome to Week 1!5mBingham Centre Founding Director Sir Jeffrey Jowell QC further explains the Rule of Law7mCreation of the Rule of Law1mOther Contributions10mDifferences Between Dicey and the Rule of Law Today10m"The Rule of Law", Sir David Williams Lecture by Lord Bingham26mLord Bingham's Eight Rule of Law Principles10mA Universal Secular Religion: International Ideas20mInterview with Bingham Centre Director, Murray Hunt25m

2 practice exercises

A.V. Dicey's Rule of Law30mWeek 1 Quiz30m

Week2

Week 2

3 hours to complete

Judges: Independence, Tenure and Appointment

3 hours to complete

2 videos (Total 15 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz

Week3

Week 3

3 hours to complete

What does it mean to be equal before the law?

3 hours to complete

4 videos (Total 16 min), 12 readings, 2 quizzes

4 videos

Introduction to Equality58sChildren3mPlessy v Ferguson, Brown v Topeka6mPractical Equality5m

12 readings

Equality Before the law10mThe United States2mThe Brown ruling10mProtected Characteristics5mThe United Kingdom10mIssues in equality: Stop and Search Part 110mIssues in equality: Stop and Search Part 215mIssues in equality: Stop and Search Part 320mIssues in equality: Stop and Search Part 415mSouth Africa Post-Apartheid Part 17mSouth Africa Post-Apartheid Part 24mRelevant cases10m

2 practice exercises

What do you think?20mWeek 3 Quiz14m

Week4

Week 4

4 hours to complete

Access to Justice

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.

4 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 136 min), 6 readings, 1 quiz

5 videos

Barriers to Law4mLegalese and Legal Aid2mOPTIONAL VIDEO- Five Years of Public Legal Education2h 2mAlternative Dispute Resolution and Online Justice1mRule of Law Implications of Artificial Intelligence3m

6 readings

Legal Empowerment10mLegal Capability15mOnline Judging and Extended Courts10mE-Government10mAlgorithms, mind control and the right to freedom of thought10mDisinformation technology and "fake news"30m

1 practice exercise

Week 4 Quiz20m

Week5

Week 5

4 hours to complete

An International Rule of Law

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.

4 hours to complete

4 videos (Total 21 min), 9 readings, 2 quizzes

4 videos

Introduction1mSources of International Law8mRemedies and Complaints7mTreaty Bodies and Committees3m

9 readings

Introduction to International Law7mIntroduction to International Human Rights10mThe Universal Declaration of Human Rights20mRegional structures of International Law30mThinking about remedies10mDecember 2019- Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (The Gambia v. Myanmar)30mState Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi's speech before the International Court of Justice on 11 December 201920mApplication by the Gambia instituting proceedings and request for provisional measures20mInterview with war crimes prosecutor Arthur Traldi22m

2 practice exercises

Questions about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights30mWeek 5 Quiz26m

Week6

Week 6

2 hours to complete

Business, Human Rights and the Rule of Law

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.

2 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 22 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

Reviews

4.8

92 reviews

5 stars
84.73%
4 stars
13.48%
3 stars
1.52%
1 star
0.25%

TOP REVIEWS FROM CITIZENSHIP AND THE RULE OF LAW

by TJFeb 19, 2022

This course has help me so much in terms of teaching me more in depth regarding the rule of law.

by JANov 23, 2020

Very informative. The reading materials are quite heavy and long but very good.

by ECJun 2, 2020

This course was slightly difficult but was very good to understand and easy

by SLApr 8, 2021

Nice course. However, the quiz in week six had too many questions all at once. you could have broken them down into 3 sets of ten each.

View all reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. 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. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
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.
Where can I find out more about the organisations involved in delivering the course?
The Bingham Centre’s website is located at binghamcentre.biicl.org.
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

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

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Citizenship and the Rule of Law

Citizenship and the Rule of Law

About this Course

What you will learn

Skills you will gain