Unit information: General Principles of International Law in 2016/17

Unit name	General Principles of International Law
Unit code	LAWDM0026
Credit points	30
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24)
Unit director	Professor. Capps
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	University of Bristol Law School
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Description including Unit Aims

This unit introduces students to the basic features and building blocks of the international legal system. The unit considers where international law comes from (the sources of international law, including the law of treaties); the bodies that are objects of international legal regulation (international personality, including issues of statehood and recognition); the principles by which a state can exercise its authority over other individuals and states (jurisdiction); the situations in which a state does not exercise such jurisdiction (including state, head of state and diplomatic immunity); and looks at the circumstances in which a state will be liable under international law both for its own acts and the acts of those subject to its jurisdiction (state responsibility). All these issues will be examined in the light of current concerns within the international community. Through all of this runs the general question of what is international law for?

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of this unit, students are expected to be able to achieve the following:

• identify and understand the general principles of international law
• critically analyse these general principles from a variety of perspectives
• apply general principles to hypothetical problems
• use the case-law of the International Court as a guide in advising governments and international organizations.

Teaching Information

This unit is taught by way of 20 lectures (approx.), 10 two-hour seminars and 2 assessment preparation and feedback sessions. Lectures are delivered jointly to students on the related undergraduate unit.

Assessment Information

Summative: a 2000 word essay (33%) will assess the candidate's ability to research a topic within the scope of this unit. The remaining Intended Learning Outcomes will be assessed in a 3 hour written examination (67%). Both assessments will assess all of the Intended Learning Outcomes for this unit in the context of topics selected by the examiners.

Formative: students should do one formative assessment (this will usually be 1 x 1500 word essay).

Reading and References

Evans (ed.), International Law (4th Ed., 2014)