Prospectus

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International Law

Course
2019-2020

Admission requirements

MSc International Relations and Diplomacy students.

Description

This course is intended to provide students with in-depth knowledge of, and insight into, the core principles and rules of public international law. The course will address the main concepts of public international law as well as several sub-areas and contemporary issues of public international law.

The course will cover the following subjects:

  • Introduction to public international law

  • International dispute settlement

  • The law of international organisations

  • International peace and security

  • Human rights law

  • International criminal law

  • International economic law

A course outline will be available on Blackboard. Overviews of the prescribed literature, case law and other documents for each week will be posted on Blackboard as well.

Course objectives

After successfully completing this course:

  • students can demonstrate knowledge of the broad legal framework, foundations and system of public international law;

  • students can identify and explain specific rules and regulations of public international law that were studied during the course;

  • students can read, evaluate and differentiate cases and other materials on international law, and integrate the concepts from those materials into their view on the law, thus interpreting and synthesizing rules of international law;

  • students can apply their knowledge of international law to new scenarios, arguing for a legal interpretation of the law and outcome of the application of the law;

  • students can integrate international legal rules and principles into their international relations analysis, including how international law influences the behaviour of states on the international plane.

Timetable

On the right-hand side of the programme front page of the E-Prospectus you will find a link to the online timetables.

Mode of instruction

This course will be taught for seven weeks. There will be two classes each week: one lecture (for all students together) and one seminar (students divided into groups). The division of the students will be posted on Blackboard. Please take note of your section and attend the correct session.

We ask that students strictly follow the section to which they are assigned and not pick and choose which seminar section to follow, nor attend both seminar sections. In this way, we can ensure that there is sufficient seating and that we are able to give everyone due attention in the seminars.

The lectures will largely follow the traditional classroom format. The seminars, however, are intended to discuss the cases and lecture materials in more detail, to focus on particular questions of international law in more detail, and to practice international legal analysis through real-life cases and problems. Students are expected to prepare the prescribed materials and actively participate in each class.

Course Load

10 EC

Assessment method

Students are required to submit two written assignments and to complete the final exam:

  • Spin Paper: 30%

  • Policy Memorandum: 30%

  • Final Exam: 40%

Guidelines for the assignments and the final exam (incl. deadlines, formatting instructions, grading criteria, and tips for research and writing) will be discussed in class.
Failed partial grades or components should be compensated by passed partial grades or components. The calculated grade must be at least 5,5 to pass the course. It is not possible to re-sit a partial grade or component once you have passed the course.

Transition rule
Students may only re-sit the final exam if they fail the overall course. The other assignments are not possible to re-sit. The re-sits are scheduled in the first week of January 2020.

The assessment methods for this course have changed since last academic year. Students that have valid partial results from last academic year can complete the course according to last year's assessment's methods.

Blackboard

Information relevant to the course will be available on Blackboard.

Reading list

The course uses the following compulsory textbook that students should acquire beforehand:

  • Anders Henriksen, International Law, 2nd edition (Oxford University Press 2019), ISBN: 9780198828723

Additional literature, case law, and other materials will be provided on Blackboard

Registration

Use Blackboard to register for every course. The programme will register the students in Usis based on the group division.

Contact

Dr. J. Larik j.e.larik@luc.leidenuniv.nl

Dhr. W. Worster w.t.worster@hhs.nl

Dhr. M. Ventura mventura.leidenuniv@gmail.com