CIFAL Victoria - LAW 343-3 Sustainable Development Law and Governance
Our globalizing world faces significant challenges, and law and governance can play a crucial role to either foster or frustrate more sustainable development. Seeking a practical, universal and effective framework to end poverty, increase social inclusion, and sustain the biosphere, 193 countries adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the United Nations Sustainable Development Our globalizing world faces significant challenges, and law and governance can play a crucial role to either foster or frustrate more sustainable development. Seeking a practical, universal and effective framework to end poverty, increase social inclusion, and sustain the biosphere, 193 countries adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit (UN SD) in 2015, setting out 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with 169 time-bound targets to end poverty and hunger, secure access to health and education, tackle climate change, protect life on land, promote peace, justice and strong institutions, and other pressing priorities.
However, feasible pathways to long-term sustainability are highly complex, subject to technological uncertainty and environmental constraints - they require considerable financial and other resources, including many trained, motivated individuals. Inter-disciplinary specialist teams, with access to new knowledge and international networks, skilled in working across national borders and cultures, are needed to provide integrated approaches. This course introduces the foundations of key legal and governance knowledge to advance the SDGs internationally. It draws on insights from international initiatives led by University of Victoria and international law professors on climate law and governance, biodiversity law and governance, human rights and intergenerational justice, sustainable trade, investment and financial rules, and sustainable management of natural resources.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be familiar with current and emerging global law and public policy issues related to the SDGs, equipped to analyse critical legal dimensions of sustainable development in different jurisdictions and cognizant of the key principles and skills for integrating environmental, human rights and economic law, policy and practice. Students will also feel more confident in taking informed decisions for future professions helping the world achieve sustainable development.
The overall objective of this course is to introduce the foundations of key law and governance skills and knowledge to advance the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to experientially explore legal reform and action in different jurisdictions, worldwide.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be familiar with current and emerging global law and public policy issues related to the SDGs, equipped to analyse critical legal dimensions of sustainable development in different jurisdictions and cognizant of the key principles and skills for integrating environmental, human rights and economic law, policy and practice. Students will also feel more confident in making informed decisions for future professions helping the world achieve sustainable development.
Course structure: The course will be conducted online in seminar format, excluding the first two introductory sessions and final seminar. Each week, students will need to complete the required readings and aim to review all recommended readings prior to class.
Content: This course introduces the foundations of key legal and governance knowledge to advance the SDGs internationally. It draws on insights from international initiatives led by University of Victoria and international law professors on climate law and governance, biodiversity law and governance, human rights and intergenerational justice, sustainable trade, investment and financial rules, and sustainable management of natural resources.
The overall course will be delivered in an online seminar style requiring extensive participation by students in the class. The course will achieve its learning objectives by deploying a combination of talks by internationally recognized development experts (mainly online), selective lectures by the instructor, important classroom discussions facilitated by an interactive roleplay dynamic, analytical group presentations, and extensive readings.
The course will be available to University of Victoria law students, in addition to University of Victoria students outside of the law faculty that receive permission to enroll in the class.
There are a number of assignments and highly interactive class activities for which marks are assigned:
- Participation in class: Students are required to attend all classes during the twelve weeks of the course, except when faced with unavoidable circumstances. When in such a situation, students must advise the instructor in writing by direct email as soon as they become aware of the situation. Students will be required to provide appropriate documentation, for example, a note from your doctor indicating the dates you were ill.
- Successful completion of course assignments and activities in a timely manner (please refer to course assignments section).
$3851.92 (tuition for one semester) includes LAW 343 course