Advanced International Law: Interpretation in International Law

This course provides students with an understanding of the practice of interpretation in international law. It is an advanced study of the interpretation of legal obligations, which forms the foundation for understanding international law. The interpretation and negotiation of international treaty law is also a highly practical skill. This course will consider interpretation from a variety of perspective of examining who in the international legal order has the authority to interpret and how choices are made. The emphasis is on practice and skills. The practice of interpretation will also be examined drawing from different contexts such as Security Council resolutions, multilateral and bilateral treaties. Case studies will be undertaken for example; The international law governing Armed Drones, Fact Finding, The Right to Water and Sanitation, Transparency in the World Trade Organisation and case studies such as the reconciliation of international trade and the right to access vaccines under international law and access to medicines and topical current case studies. The aim of the course is to provide students with a practical skills and a sound appreciation of interpretative issues in the international legal system.