50239 - INTERNATIONAL LAW
Department of Law
Course taught in English
Course Director:
ROGER MICHAEL O'KEEFE
ROGER MICHAEL O'KEEFE
Suggested background knowledge
By way of optional preparation, students may wish to read Vaughan Lowe, International Law: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2015).
Mission & Content Summary
MISSION
The course aims to introduce students to the characteristic legal techniques and central doctrinal concerns of public international law, the law governing the conduct of states, international organizations and certain other actors on the international plane. In professional terms, a knowledge of international law is indispensable for the following students: those interested in a career in private legal practice advising states and private clients on everything from investment arbitration and sovereign rights over oil and gas to refugee status, white-collar crime, international environmental standards and contractual disputes with foreign state-owned enterprises; those interested in a career in private legal practice litigating before international judicial and arbitral institutions like the International Court of Justice, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, the International Criminal Court and the European Court of Human Rights; those interested in a legal or diplomatic career in a state's ministry of foreign affairs or in a legal career in a state's armed forces; those interested in a legal or diplomatic career in an international organization like the United Nations or the European Union; those interested in a legal career in a non-governmental organization like Amnesty International or Greenpeace. The course provides useful background for the course in International Trade and Investment Law (50182).
CONTENT SUMMARY
Introduction. The sources of international law. The law of treaties. Statehood. The jurisdiction and immunities of states. International organizations. International responsibility. The use of interstate force. The peaceful settlement of international disputes.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
By the end of the course, students should have gained a doctrinal, practical, and critical knowledge and understanding of international law. Specifically, they should: know and understand the essential character and function of international law and know and understand its organizing concepts and principles; know and understand the different sources of international law; know and understand the law of treaties; know and understand the law governing statehood; know and understand the law governing the jurisdiction and immunities of states; know and understand the law of international organizations; know and understand the law of international responsibility; know and understand the law governing the use of interstate force; know and understand the law governing the peaceful settlement of international disputes.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
By the end of the course, students should be able to apply the different sources of international law; to apply the law of treaties; to apply the law governing statehood; to apply the law governing the jurisdiction and immunities of states; to apply the law of international organizations; to apply the law of international responsibility; to apply the law governing the use of interstate force; to apply the law governing the peaceful settlement of international disputes.
Teaching methods
- Face-to-face lectures
- Online lectures
- Exercises (exercises, database, software etc.)
DETAILS
The exercises consist of classes at the end of each topic in which students are lead through both 'problem-style' questions involving the application of the law to hypothetical factual situations and 'essay-style' questions involving more conceptual discussion of the law.
Assessment methods
| Continuous assessment | Partial exams | General exam | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
x |
ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
Assessment consists of a general exam involving a choice of open-answer questions of both the 'problem-style' variety, involving the application of the law to hypothetical factual situations, and the 'essay-style' variety, involving more discursive description, explanation, illustration, analysis, discussion and evaluation of the law. The general exam accounts for 100% of a student's final grade for the course.
Teaching materials
ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
The textbook for the course is Malcolm Evans (ed.), International Law, 5th edition (Oxford University Press, 2018). It is recommended that students purchase this.
Students are required to purchase Malcolm Evans (ed.), Blackstone's International Law Documents, 15th edition (Oxford University Press, 2021). Students will need this to take into the exam with them. This book is not to be annotated in any way.
Additional reading materials are made available online.
Last change 11/12/2023 12:22