4.0

credits

Average Course Rating

A general introduction to international law, surveying such areas as (among others) the sources of law, the law of treaties and customary international law, statehood and sovereignty, refugees and human rights, the laws of armed conflict, dispute resolution, international organizations, the law of the sea, use of armed force, the role(s) of NGOs, and the law of international trade. The course will consider the differences and similarities between international and domestic legal regimes, and how the two systems interact in theory and in practice. Considerable emphasis will be placed on legal reasoning, exposition, and advocacy. The course is intended for students of all fields of concentration, since it will introduce them to the grammar and syntax of international law: a language with which they will surely need some familiarity whatever their intended career paths. It should be of special interest to potential International Law concentrators, since it will lay the foundation for the exploration of more specialized areas. Examination or paper option, with mid-term writing assignment.