THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2020/2021

Information in the Degree Programme Tables may still be subject to change in response to Covid-19

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Law : Law

Postgraduate Course: Fundamental Issues in International Law (LAWS11024)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Law CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits40 ECTS Credits20
SummaryThis is a course in which fundamental elements of public international law are studied at an advanced level. It is intended to be suitable both for students who are new to the study of international law, as well as for those who may have taken a basic undergraduate course but who wish to explore the issues in greater depth.
Course description This is a course aimed at introducing students to fundamental debates about the nature of international law and the international legal order today, and its relationship to states, markets, conflict, justice and human rights. The course is historical, conceptual, theoretical and legal. It introduces students to key ideas and arguments about where the international legal order is coming from and where it is going, what its building blocks are, and how those components are changing. A theme uniting the course is the extent to which the international legal order is shifting from a classical jus inter gentes to something else: a law of global governance, a global administrative law, a law of rights and regulation, or some combination.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2020/21, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  50
Course Start Full Year
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 400 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 40, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 8, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 352 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Summative Assessment Components:

5000 Word Essay (50%)
5000 Word Essay (50%)
Feedback All students will be provided with feedback in Week 5 regarding their class participation.

An opportunity for students to gain 'feed forward' information in advance of the assessment will be provided.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Students will gain an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the international law-making process
  2. Students will acquire an ability to critically engage with contemporary legal and policy debates on international law with a view to reflecting on different approaches and viewpoints on controversial issues
  3. To further develop the ability to conduct independent research, to identify primary and secondary sources and to synthesise and evaluate material from a variety of sources (via the course assessment)
  4. To further develop the ability to articulate, sustain and defend a line of argument in both written and oral form (via assessment) as well as to further develop skills of communication, expression and debate (via seminar participation)
Reading List
None
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills General cognitive skills, ability to exercise informed and rigorous analysis as well as critical and independent judgement of complex legal/policy issues

Students will develop their ability to express information and arguments in a succinct, coherent and persuasive manner, both orally and in writing, whilst remaining open to discussing and learning from other points of view (via seminar participation)

Students will obtain the ability to locate legal and other sources through library and IT resources as well as to present written work in an appropriate format.

Students will develop their ability to work autonomously in preparing for seminars and completing the course assessment whilst seeking advice when appropriate and incorporating feedback.

Managing their time and workload within deadlines will also be a key outcome of this course.
Keywordsinternational law; state immunity; diplomacy; UN enforcement and peacekeeping
Contacts
Course organiserProf Nehal Bhuta
Tel: (0131 6)51 4565
Email: Nehal.Bhuta@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Chloe Culross
Tel: (0131 6)50 9588
Email: Chloe.Culross@ed.ac.uk
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