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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2022/2023

Timetable information in the Course Catalogue may be subject to change.

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Law : Law

Postgraduate Course: International Law of the Sea (LAWS11132)

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 Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThe aim of this course is to allow an opportunity for students to study in detail some of the

contemporary challenges facing the modern law of the sea. The course will follow up on the

introduction to the law of the sea and ocean governance provided by the course on

International Ocean Governance and the Protection of the Marine Environment (LAWS11424) by focussing on key legal issues that arise in the interpretation and application of the law of the sea in practice. The precise content of the course will vary from year to year in order to reflect the changing challenges within the law of the sea but it may cover issues such as the implications of sea-level rise for maritime boundaries and limits, the constraints of coastal state jurisdiction over foreign ships in the territorial sea and the exclusive economic zone, delimitation of overlapping maritime zones and the management of activities in disputed maritime areas, the regulation of new technologies within the marine environment, and the scope of jurisdiction and applicable law under the dispute settlement regime set up by Part XV of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. In particular, students will be expected to engage with the evolving case law emanating from international courts and tribunals dealing with law of the sea disputes, as well as considering how the law may need to be reformed in order to address contemporary challenges.
Course description Not entered
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 2022/23, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  26
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 196 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Summative Assessment Components:

5000 Word Essay (100%)

Feedback There will be formative written feedback provided to students on the selection of the topic chosen for the 5000 word essay (100%).
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Students will be expected to have a knowledge and understanding of the key issues facing the modern law of the sea.
  2. Students will be expected to develop critical analytical skills in relation to the interpretation of treaty provisions and the application of the law to particular factual situations;
  3. Students will be expected to be able to read case law relating to law of the sea disputes in order to understand how courts and tribunals engage with the argument presented to them by different parties to a dispute;
  4. Students will be expected to engage in class discussions and debate on key issues, acknowledging the different perspectives and interests that may be involved in solving problems in the law of the sea;
  5. Students will be expected to be able to write coherently and persuasively on key law of the sea topics.
Reading List
Students can prepare for this course by reading:

R. Churchill and V. Lowe, Law of the Sea, (Manchester University Press, 2nd edition, 1999), chapter 1; OR
D. R. Rothwell and T. Stephens, The International Law of the Sea, (Hart Publishing, 2010), chapter 1; OR
Y. Tanaka, The International Law of the Sea, (Cambridge University Press, 2012), chapter 1.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Please see Learning Outcomes.
KeywordsInternational Law of the Sea,Maritime Jurisdiction,United Nations Convention on the Law of the Se
Contacts
Course organiserDr James Harrison
Tel: (0131 6)50 2040
Email: james.harrison@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Chloe Culross
Tel: (0131 6)50 9588
Email: Chloe.Culross@ed.ac.uk
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