Catherine Turner

Peer assisted learning and the creation of a “learning community” for first year law students

This paper will explore the impact of peer assisted learning on student transition and the creation of a “learning community” by way of a case study of first year law programmes at the University of Ulster. A review of first year law programmes was undertaken to identify whether student expectations were being met and how the first year experience could be enhanced. Students were clearly having difficulty making the transition to university and coping with the independent nature of a law degree. Findings led to the implementation of a peer support scheme for new first year law students in the form of Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) which were used to encourage students on the undergraduate LLB programmes at Ulster to support each other in their learning. The PASS scheme was evaluated and this paper highlights the value of peer support particularly in relation to the transition process and increasing student confidence in their subject.

Editorial Comment: Law and Negotiation in Conflict: Theory, Policy and Practice

The relationship between law and negotiation is increasingly at the forefront of the international agenda. International organisations whose role includes the mediation of peace, such as the Mediation Support Unit of the United Nations, and the European Union, are seeking to understand the relationship between mediation, law and justice in conflict and post conflict societies. While such organisations acknowledge that international law places normative constraints on the practice of peace making, they also recognise that key principles of mediation, such as consent, inclusivity and local ownership, are crucial to the success of negotiated peace processes (United Nations, 2012). These questions have risen to the top of international policy agendas, but there is little academic scrutiny of how the relationship between law and negotiation itself it to be negotiated (Kastner, 2015). Research to date has focused on discrete aspects of the relationship between law and negotiation, such as the role of human rights in peace agreements (Bell, 2000), or in setting transitional justice priorities (Bell 2008; Wierda, 2010). It has not addressed the overarching question of the relationship between law and negotiation that underpins these divisive issues. Binding norms as well as normative expectations serve to shape the mediation process. Yet while law can play a key role in providing guidance for peacemakers, and in providing legitimacy for peace agreements, it can also come into conflict with the political task of negotiation.

Transitional constitutionalism and the case of the Arab Spring.

This paper seeks to explore the relationship between the framework of transition and the enactment of a new constitution for Egypt. It does so by using the relatively under explored concept of transitional constitutionalism, interrogating some of the key claims on which transitional constitutionalism is based, and questioning their application in the Egyptian context. By doing this the paper explores the broader paradox of the imposition of a framework of transition that is rooted in principles of liberalism in the context where liberalism is far from the agreed or prevailing political model.

Absent or Invisible? Women Mediators and the United Nations

Since the adoption in 2000 of the landmark Security Council Resolution 1325 a significant body of research has emerged analysing the importance of womens participation in peace negotiations. ‘Participation’ represents one of the core pillars of the Women Peace and Security Agenda (WPS) adopted by the Security Council to redress the exclusion of women from the realm of peace and security. This work has highlighted the benefits of including women and has highlighted the different roles that women play within peacebuilding. However it has largely overlooked the specific category of women in the role of mediator. This is despite clear policy commitments throughout WPS resolutions adopted by the Security Council that call for greater representation of women within high†level UN mediation teams. This article seeks to address this gap by focusing specifically on the role of mediator, and the relative invisibility of women in that particular role within UN mediation efforts. The article takes as its starting point existing legal and policy frameworks that call for the inclusion of greater number of women in mediation roles, and seeks to understand why these goals are not being achieved.