Undergraduate - UnitLAW4122 - International law

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2015 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 3, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Law
Offered	Clayton First semester 2015 (Day) Clayton Second semester 2015 (Day)

Synopsis

Topics include: theory of international law; the place of States in international law, including their rights, obligations, status and jurisdiction; the sources of international law and how they are interpreted and applied; the implementation of international law by states, in particular Australia's approach; the nature of international disputes and their resolution; the law related to the use of force by States and self-defence; the role of international institutions; the role of individuals in international law; and specific areas of public international law, including the law of the sea and environmental law.

Outcomes

On completion of this subject students should understand and be able to critically examine:

the fundamental principles of international law;
the theoretical framework of international law and its relationship with domestic law;
the crucial role of States, international institutions and individuals in the international legal system;
how international law is made and the complexity involved in interpreting and applying its sources;
how Australia interprets and applies international law in relation to its own legal framework;
the use of force and self-defence in international law;
international dispute resolution;
some of the different areas of international law;
the political context and nature of international law.

Assessment

Semester 1: Optional assignment (2000 words): 40% and examination (2 hours plus 30 minutes reading and noting time): 60% OR examination (3 hours plus 30 minutes reading and noting time): 100%
Semester 2: Two mandatory assignments: (i) an in-class test in week four of the semester (50 minutes plus reading and noting time): 20% AND a take-home examination (to be handed in during the examination period): 4000 words, 80%

Workload requirements

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. The unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Chief examiner(s)

Ms Nadine Huels (Semester 1)
Dr Deborah Whitehall (Semester 2)

Prerequisites

LAW1100 or LAW1101 and LAW1102 or LAW1104

Co-requisites

For students who commenced their LLB (Hons) course in 2015 or later: LAW4331