Introduction to International Law

About

This course offers a broad as well as profound overview of international law and its various areas, its relations to politics, and current challenges of the international legal system. The focus will be on the theoretical background of international law as well as its practical implications in our globalised world. It will thus provide a critical, analytical, and stimulating perspective on the nature and scope of international law for every scholar interested in this field. Furthermore, our location in London will offer you not only access to law firms exclusively dedicated to international law (such as Volterra Fietta), but also to international organisations based in London (both better known organisations, such as the International Maritime Organisation and the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as lesser known organisations such as the International Coffee Organisation).

Teaching in lectures and seminars will be supplemented with a number of structured study sessions, such as human rights training with experts from the British Institute of Human Rights, supervised library skills workshop, and assessment preparation for the coursework.

Course leader

Dr Thomas MacManus

Target group

Undergraduate Students

Course aim

This course aims to:

- provide you with fundamental knowledge of the development of international law, its basic functions and workings, its role in our world today, and its most pressing challenges these days

- offer you an overview of how international law affects domestic law, as well as individuals and their daily life

- give you an understanding of the various fields of international law (eg legal sources, international organisations, environmental law and climate change, law of the sea and territorial disputes, etc) and how they are interconnected

- explain the practical aspects of international law by showcasing the work of law firms engaged in international law cases and the work of international organisations based in London

- engender an understanding and appreciation of the international legal system, as well as familiarising you with its significance for the law (both international and domestic) as well as politics

- assess these contemporary challenges in structured seminars and through the proposed form of assessment (ie coursework)

- enhance your analytical skills and your ability to critically engage with international legal problems, in particular by writing short essays and/or seminar papers (in the shape of the proposed assessment, both formative and summative) and giving an in-class group presentation.

Fee info