30624 - INTERNATIONAL LAW
Department of Law
Course taught in English
Go to class group/s: 28
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 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; and those interested in a legal career in a non-governmental organization like Amnesty International or Greenpeace.
CONTENT SUMMARY
Introduction. The sources of international law. The law of treaties. The law of statehood. The law of jurisdiction. The law of international organizations. The international rights and obligations of individuals. The law of jurisdictional immunities. The law of international responsibility. The law on the use of interstate force. The law on the peaceful settlement of international disputes. Conclusion.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
Understand the nature, function and efficacy of international law, know the bearers of international rights and obligations, and be familiar with the organs and relevant subsidiary organs of the United Nations Organization
Be familiar with and understand the sources of international law
Be familiar with and understand the law of treaties
Be familiar with and understand the law of statehood
Be familiar with and understand the law of title to territory
Be familiar with and understand the law of jurisdiction
Be familiar with and understand the law of international organizations
Be familiar with and understand the international rights and obligations of individuals
Be familiar with and understand the law of jurisdictional immunities
Be familiar with and understand the law of international responsibility
Be familiar with and understand the law on the use of interstate force
Be familiar with and understand the law on the peaceful settlement of international disputes
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
Appreciate critically and discuss insightfully the nature, function and efficacy of international law
Appreciate critically and discuss insightfully the sources of international law
Appreciate critically and discuss insightfully the law of treaties
Appreciate critically and discuss insightfully the law of statehood
Appreciate critically and discuss insightfully the law of title to territory
Appreciate critically and discuss insightfully the law of jurisdiction
Appreciate critically and discuss insightfully the law of international organizations
Appreciate critically and discuss insightfully the international rights and obligations of individuals
Appreciate critically and discuss insightfully the law of jurisdictional immunities
Appreciate critically and discuss insightfully the law of international responsibility
Appreciate critically and discuss insightfully the law on the use of interstate force
Appreciate critically and discuss insightfully the law on the peaceful settlement of international disputes
Teaching methods
- Lectures
- Practical Exercises
DETAILS
The exercises consist of 'tutorial' classes at the end of each topic in which students are lead through questions involving analytical and creative reflection on 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 the 'essay-style' variety, involving discursive description, explanation, illustration, analysis, discussion and evaluation of the law. Students must answer two questions, each worth 50% of the overall grade. The exam lasts two hours.
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, 6th edition (Oxford University Press, 2024). 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 26/05/2024 18:41