Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Sovereignty, nationality, jurisdiction, arbitration. Examination of selected cases exemplifying present trends in the international legal order.

COURSE DETAILS:

Course Description: 

Why should we study International Law (IL), the body of rules, norms, and practices governing state behaviour? Principally, we should study IL because legal systems in today’s highly interactive, globalized world are highly interconnected: We travel and migrate to other countries; we trade, invest and do business abroad; and states conflict with and seek peaceful, diplomatic solutions with each other, all of which affects domestic citizens. In the context of this interdependent world, IL is no longer exclusively a tool employed by diplomats within international organizations; it is an essential tool for local governments, business persons, entrepreneurs, journalists and even activists. We, as citizens, also need to understand the fundamentals of international law.  

This introductory course in International Law assumes no prior knowledge of the topic. We will examine the fundamental concepts, principles, rules and issues of “public international law” with a view to better understanding how the “world works” and how to make it a better place for all. The course is divided into three parts. We begin by understanding the historical evolution and “sources” of IL, and consider different approaches to IL such as critical, feminist and “third world” approaches to mainstream IL. Key questions will be: Does IL really exist? And, Is IL neo-colonial? The second part of the course examines the substantive rules and principles of IL, including: the use of force; the law of treaties and compliance issues; statehood and state responsibility, self-determination and secession, pacific dispute settlement and diplomatic laws. Last, we investigate contemporary issues and debates on the role of IL in making a better world. A range of areas will be explored such as human rights law and humanitarian law, and international criminal, economic and environmental law. We will closely consider issues of justice, including how to address massive human rights violations like genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, human trafficking, and the plight of refugees, migrants or stateless persons in our unsettled world.

Course Organization:

There will be a four-hour interactive seminar each week. 

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING: