LAWPUBL 402 : International Law
Law
2020 Semester One (1203) (20 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
Understanding international law is increasingly foundational to an education in law in today's world of increasing interactions and interdependence between states and between individuals in different states. The course will equip you with a solid grounding in the basic rules and skills of public international law that will be important for you regardless of your chosen career path in law. The course begins by demonstrating how international law governs relations in an extraordinarily diverse range of fields. You will become familiar with the sources of international law, its subjects and actors and the law of state responsibility. We will examine the role of international courts and tribunals, and move on to consider collective security and the law on the use of force with reference to recent events as well as other instances of transboundary harm. The course will conclude with reflections on international law and the role of power.
Course Requirements
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 1: | Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 2: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 3: | Solution Seeking |
| Capability 4: | Communication and Engagement |
| Capability 5: | Independence and Integrity |
| Capability 6: | Social and Environmental Responsibilities |
Learning Outcomes
- Have a foundational working knowledge of public international law (Capability 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3)
- Understand, explain and address simple problems in public international law (Capability 1.3, 2.1, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 and 4.1)
- Critically evaluate how international law identifies and responds to transboundary issues (Capability 1.1, 2.2, 6.2 and 6.3)
- Analyse relevant legal materials and secondary literature to develop an understanding of core concepts of public international law (Capability 2.1, 2.3, 3.3 and 5.2)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Final Exam | 70% | Individual Examination |
| Quizzes | 30% | Individual Coursework |
| 2 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||||||
| Final Exam | ||||||||||
| Quizzes | ||||||||||
The final exam will be discussed in class at an appropriate time in the semester. Earlier exams are available on the library website and selected ones will be posted to CANVAS.
A series of online quizzes will be offered on CANVAS throughout the semester, with the precise dates to be announced on CANVAS. Each quiz will consist of two components. The first component is to be completed in the week before class based on your readings, and will be marked out of 2 points. The second component will require an application of, or reflection on, the topic covered during class, and is to be completed in the week after class. This second component will be marked out of 4 points. Each quiz will thus add up to 6 points, and the top five results will make up 30% of your final grade. Any non-completed component will count for 0. If less than five quizzes have been completed at the end of the semester, a non-completion will affect your final grade.
Learning Resources
Workload Expectations
This is a standard 20-point course. There will be around 48 hours of lectures in this course. As a general guide, you should expect a workload of three hours outside of the classroom for each hour spent in class. The guideline for the total workload for this course is 200 hours.
Digital Resources
Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).
Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.
Inclusive Learning
All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course director, lecturer or tutor.
Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website at http://disability.auckland.ac.nz
Special Circumstances
If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a Student Academic and Support Adviser as soon as possible before the assessment is due.
If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.
This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.
Student Feedback
At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.
Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.
Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.
Student Charter and Responsibilities
The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter (https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html).
Disclaimer
Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.
In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.