Undergraduate Course: Public International Law
The course covers the major areas of general international law and is not over-specialised. The lectures cover the core tutorial topics on the nature and sources of international law, the law of treaties, international legal personality, jurisdiction and immunities, State responsibility, the use of force and and the procedures for peaceful settlement of disputes. In addition, the lectures introduce students to special areas such the law of the sea, international criminal law, international environmental law, international economic law and investment arbitration. The normal policy is to place emphasis on recent experience and to place issues firmly within the context of policy considerations.
Although in principle the syllabus is extensive, both the teaching practice and the mode of setting the FHS paper avoid any drawbacks which might result from this wide scope. Thus, different teachers will focus on different selected topics, and the student will find that it is not necessary to know the whole syllabus from A to Z. In the same context, the Schools paper provides a wide selection of questions.
The subject has very considerable practical significance, particularly for persons who consider entering the service of international organisations, NGOs, foreign ministries of their countries, or specialised private practice (particularly in the areas of commercial law and of human rights). For those who do not intend to follow a career in international law, the subject provides a broad sweep of issues which illuminate not merely questions of international law but the problems and processes of the world of diplomacy. International law provides the technical and intellectual underpinnings to large areas of international co-operation, including the prosecution of war crimes, environmental protection, freedom of maritime traffic, civil air transport, the settlement of land and maritime boundary disputes, the propagation and enforcement of human rights standards, and the resolution of jurisdictional conflicts arising in the context of anti-trust and other forms of economic regulation by States. The subject is taught in lectures and tutorials arranged by your college tutor. The pubilc international law teaching group assumes that students taking this subject will attend all the lectures.
Syllabus: Public International Law comprises:
(a) The law of peace.
(b) The law governing the use of force and the settlement of international disputes.
(c) The general structure, powers, and principles of the United Nations Organisation.
Materials available in exam: Blackstone’s International Law Documents, 8th (2007) edition.
View course website from within Oxford / outside Oxford (password required)
