NB Students who will start the LL.M. PIL programme in February 2025 should contact the secretariat of Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies (volkenrecht@law.leidenuniv.nl) to receive further information about the course schedule and preparatory readings. A general information meeting for new (February) PIL students will be scheduled in the first week of February 2025.
Admission requirements
Admission to the PIL master programme.
Description
This course aims to explore the role of international law and practice in achieving sustainable development, defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Sustainable development is generally considered to have three dimensions: an economic, a social and an environmental dimension. Integrating these three dimensions in a way that does justice to each of them is not an easy task. This course will provide students with knowledge and insights into fields of international law that relate to these three dimensions, including international environmental law, human rights law, international trade and investment law and the law of the sea. It will examine how these fields of international law engage with sustainable development and how the law and practice address the major sustainable development challenges of our time, such as climate change, loss of biological diversity, pollution, poverty, inequalities and food insecurity.
Course objectives
The main objective of this course is to familiarize students with the law and practice of sustainable development.
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
demonstrate thorough knowledge of and insight into the existing legal framework, the foundations and the law and practice of sustainable development;
demonstrate profound knowledge of the specific rules and regulations that were studied during the course and of the interaction between those rules;
show awareness of the political and social context in which these rules are applied;
interpret and analyse the relevant sources and literature, draft legal documents under time pressure;
discuss their findings before a student audience.
Timetable
Check MyTimetable.
Mode of instruction
Lectures
Number of (2 hour) lectures: 10 (generally one per week).
Names of lecturers: Prof. dr. Daniëlla Dam-de Jong; dr. Jens Iverson; dr. Anna Marhold and dr. Hilde Woker
Required preparation by students: Studying of the prescribed materials
Working groups
Number of (2 hour) working groups: 6-10 (for exact dates see Course Outline)
Names of instructors: Prof. dr. Daniëlla Dam-de Jong; dr. Jens Iverson; dr. Anna Marhold and dr. Hilde Woker
Required preparation by students: Studying the prescribed materials and submitting papers and a recorded oral presentation before a specific deadline in accordance with the procedure indicated in the Course Outline and on Brightspace.
Other methods of instruction
None.
Assessment method
Examination form(s)
Final exam, consisting of a practical assignment (40%)
Four mandatory intermediate assignments (60%). A fail for one assignment may be compensated by a pass for the other part; what is decisive is that the overall grade qualifies as a pass. Completed assignments will also count in case of a resit of the exam, but are valid only for one academic year.
This course has the status of a practical exercise.
Submission procedures
All written assignments must be submitted in accordance with the procedure indicated in the Course Outline and Brightspace.
Reading list
Obligatory course materials
Literature:
There is no textbook prescribed for this course.Readings for this course will consist of scholarly articles and book chapters and case law, as indicated in the Course outline.
Course information guide:
- Course outline as posted on Brightspace (January 2025).
Recommended course materials
To be announced on Brightspace.
Registration
Registration for courses and exams takes place via MyStudymap. If you do not have access to MyStudymap (guest students), look here (under the Law-tab) for more information on the registration procedure in your situation.
Contact
Coordinator: Prof. dr. D.A. Dam-de Jong
d.a.dam@law.leidenuniv.nl
Institution/division
Institute: Public Law
Division: Public International Law
Room number secretariat: KOG, Office B1.11
Telephone number secretariat: 071-527 7713/7723
E-mail: volkenrecht@law.leidenuniv.nl