| Unit name | International Dispute Settlement |
|---|---|
| Unit code | LAWD30117 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Hill-Cawthorne |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
LAWD20041 General Principles of International Law |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | University of Bristol Law School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
International law is now a fundamental part of the day-to-day relations between and within nation States, regulating matters as diverse as war, poverty, the environment, trade and foreign investment. When disputes arise between States, international law is thus a core way in which those disputes are framed. Understanding the different mechanisms that international law provides for resolving such disputes is thus fundamental to understand how disputes between States and other actors thus evolve. This unit will give you a robust introduction to a range of different international courts and tribunals for litigating international legal disputes (such as the International Court of Justice, International Criminal Court and World Trade Organisation dispute settlement system). It is structured around a range of key themes that arise across different tribunals.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This optional, final year unit will help to ground the knowledge you gained in General Principles of International Law in the kinds of processes with which you will have become very familiar in your other units (namely, litigation). However, you will also gain a richly diverse understanding of litigation as you see how different courts using different approaches operate, where the parties are not private individuals but States (or an individual/company vs a State).
An overview of content
The unit explores critically the field of international dispute settlement, as the field has developed since the 1920s. The focus is on international dispute settlement through adjudication before international courts and tribunals. We explore various themes that cut across the different tribunals, including sources of procedural law, jurisdiction and adminissibility and the phenomenon of parallel proceedings before multiple tribunals on the same matter. We look at a range of tribunals, including the International Court of Justice, International Criminal Court, WTO system and international investment tribunals. The unit gives close attention to the significant criticisms that have been levelled against the system of international dispute settlement in the last 10-15 years, especially in the field of investment protection.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
This unit will expose students to an entirely different field of litigation, equipping them with the ability to compare more traditional domestic courts with the diversity of international tribunals. It will also push students to be critical and reflective, asking whether the expansion of international courts and tribunals is a good thing.
Learning Outcomes
Teaching is via traditional lectures offering overview of core topics, large-class deep dive sessions exploring particular issues/cases in depth, and seminars at which students will be expected to engage fully with pre-seen discussion questions having completed the set readings. LO 1 will primarily be met via the lectures, large group sessions and independent reading. Los 2 and 3 will be met particularly in seminars and seminar prep.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
1000 word critique of a primary or secondary source submitted midway through the teaching block. This will give students a chance to practise critically analysing a particular judgment or piece of scholarship. Such critical analysis is a core part of what will be assessed in the summative assessment. Individual written feedback and group feedback, usually via a lecture, will be provided. Additional formative opportunities take place during seminars and large group sessions, providing the opportunity to develop skills and prepare and evaluate answers. Further formative opportunities are available through Blackboard (including the discussion forums) and consultation hours.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Timed assessment, 2 x 1500 word essays out of a choice of at least 6 essay-style questions, completed at the end of the teaching block.
When assessment does not go to plan:
When a student fails the unit and is eligible to resubmit, the unit will be reassessed on a like-for-like basis. The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessment required for credit in the usual way.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. LAWD30117).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
