Course overview
This course provides students with an understanding of the system of public international law which regulates relations between actors on the global stage. Students will be provided with a foundation in the nature of international law, covering the following: sources of international law, in particular centering on treaty law; customary international law, general principles of law and soft law; interpretation, negotiation and compliance; and the relationship between international law and Australian domestic law. This foundational knowledge of public international law will then be applied to a selection of topics in the field. Topics covered in any given iteration of the course will be drawn from the following: statehood and state responsibility; territory and legal personality; subjectivity in the international legal system (states, non-state actors, institutions, groups, individuals and corporations); jurisdiction and immunity; human rights law; the United Nations system and the International Court of Justice; the Security Council and the law on the use of force; international humanitarian law; the law of the sea and international dispute resolution; business and human rights; the European Union and international law; and the law of international development cooperation.
Course learning outcomes
- Develop a knowledge of the nature of public international law and the structure of the international legal system
- Define and apply the basic elements of public international law - its sources and subjects, the recognition and jurisdiction of States in international law and principles of State responsibility
- Develop a knowledge of several key areas of ‘public international law' including the law surrounding the use of force and human rights and treaty interpretation.
- Develop a knowledge of how international law influences the development and adaptation of Australian domestic law through legislative, executive and judicial action
- Critically examine the operation and application of international law in practical contexts
- Develop effective skills, both orally and in writing, in the construction of legal argument and the independent and self directed analysis on issues of international law