Course Description
The birth and development of modern international law is a debated issue. From views tracing
back its birth to the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 all the way to the late 19th Century Europe,
and its major modifications and complexifications after the Second World War, commentators
and lawyers seem unable to draw consensus as to the starting point, or anything approximating
to it, of international law. Be that as it may, this course attempts to sketch out a comprehensive
overview of international law as we understand it today.
For this, we will examine several foundational regimes and concepts of international
law, namely the sources and subjects of international law, the law of treaties, the law of
international responsibility, use of force, international humanitarian law, peaceful settlement of
international disputes, international human rights law, international environmental law, among
others.
Objective
The goal and objective of this course is to supplement and enhance the already existing knowledge of the class on international law in a comprehensive way, enabling and equipping the students with the necessary toolkits in analysing international legal phenomena.
Teaching method
The course will be taught in an interactive way, which entails that students should prepare before class, do the readings (which would be available on Moodle), and actively participate in each session.
Evaluation
The final grade for the course is determined in the following manner:
- 15% Class Participation
- 25% Response Paper
- 60% Final Exam
Response Papers, maximum 1000 words, consist of a critical summary of the reading materials
for the early March session, and must be submitted 48 hours in advance to that class. Samples
of response papers would be distributed in advance and written feedback would be provided
for improvement.
Final exam will be held on 15 May 2025 in class for a duration of 4 hours, and
involves answering 2 out of 3 questions, to be announced on the date of the exam. The use of
paper or online material for the exam is allowed.
- Teacher: Farzad Fallah