Course overview
This course provides students with an introduction to law in its global context in this age of trans-national and inter-jurisdictional practice, with particular focus on public international law and its role in shaping the international legal order. The course commences with an introduction to the development and nature of public international law as well as distinctive elements of international legal reasoning. It then addresses key features of international law, with topics chosen from: the sources of international law with emphasis on customary international law and the law of treaties; international fact finding; the structure of the international community and participants in the international legal system; the peaceful settlement of international disputes; state responsibility; jurisdiction and immunity; international maritime law and the law of the sea; the use of force; international human rights; the law of armed conflict and International Space Law.
Course learning outcomes
- Identify the nature of international law and the structure of the international legal system and explain the basic elements of public international law
- Undertake legal research using primary and secondary material to resolve practical and theoretical problems
- Apply international law in practical contexts, including the law surrounding the use of force, space law and human rights
- Construct legal argument, and analyse and communicate issues of international law, both orally and in writing
- Create and defend a principled and ethical argument
- Analyse the impact of international law on diverse peoples, and critique the operation of international law from a range of ethical perspectives
- Reflect on and justify a legal position in a social context
- Use feedback to inform individual improvements