Module SXL-3110:
International Law and Contemporary Issues

Module Facts

Run by School of History, Law and Social Sciences

20.000 Credits or 10.000 ECTS Credits

Semester 1 & 2

Organiser: Prof Alison Mawhinney

Overall aims and purpose

The aim of this module is to provide undergraduate students with a broad and solid introduction to the field of international law with a specific introduction to contemporary issues in international human rights law, public international law, and international environmental law.

Course content

This module will enhance students’ understanding of the public international context of law. Students will begin with the necessary building blocks to understanding the field of international law by exploring and understanding fundamental principles of public international law. On grasping these core principles students will be well placed to move forward to more sophisticated examinations of some core topics and contemporary issues in international law, for example in the fields of international human rights law and international environmental law.

Assessment Criteria

C- to C+

C- to C+: C- to C+ (50-59%) An answer which, while always in the main accurate and correct, fails to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant material and is lacking in criticism. An answer which while reliable with regard to correctness is either not comprehensive or not entirely pertinent.

excellent

Excellent: A- to A* (70+%) An outstanding, possibly brilliant, answer, containing all the material relevant to the question and no irrelevancy, all the material and references being accurate and correct, there being no inaccuracy or error, the whole presented in a clear, logical, critical argument with little room for improvement. An answer which demonstrates a complete mastery of the subject.

threshold

Threshold: D- to D+ (40-49%) An answer which, while predominantly correct in its presentation of material, contains a significant level of error and is therefore not entirely reliable.

good

Good: B- to B+ (60-69%) High Standard: A comprehensive answer, containing all the material relevant to the question and no irrelevancy, all the material and references being accurate and correct, there being no inaccuracy or error, the whole presented in an argument which, while clear, logical and critical, leaves room for improvement in its construction and presentation. An answer which shows complete competence in the subject.

Learning outcomes

  1. Apply knowledge of international law to actual or hypothetical factual scenarios.

  2. Critically evaluate the key sources of international law and how these apply to specific situations

  3. Demonstrate a critical appreciation of the history, theory and practice of international law

  4. Analyse fundamental legal principles in public international law, international human rights law, international criminal law in the context of contemporary issues and critically assess these principles.

  5. Critically appraise the broader political, cultural and economic contexts in which international law operates.

Assessment Methods

Type Name Description Weight
EXAM MCQ on BB

An exam which assesses fundamental understanding of public international law.

 40.00
EXAM Exam

An exam which assesses ability to apply international law to contemporary issues.

 60.00

Teaching and Learning Strategy

Hours
Private study

Private study either alone or within study groups - students will be given significant direction and advice by module leader and lecturers with respect to private study topics and objectives.

 156
Seminar

22 x 2 hour weekly seminars, taught using a blended learning approach

 44

Transferable skills

  • Literacy - Proficiency in reading and writing through a variety of media
  • Self-Management - Able to work unsupervised in an efficient, punctual and structured manner. To examine the outcomes of tasks and events, and judge levels of quality and importance
  • Exploring - Able to investigate, research and consider alternatives
  • Information retrieval - Able to access different and multiple sources of information
  • Inter-personal - Able to question, actively listen, examine given answers and interact sensitevely with others
  • Critical analysis & Problem Solving - Able to deconstruct and analyse problems or complex situations. To find solutions to problems through analyses and exploration of all possibilities using appropriate methods, rescources and creativity.
  • Presentation - Able to clearly present information and explanations to an audience. Through the written or oral mode of communication accurately and concisely.
  • Argument - Able to put forward, debate and justify an opinion or a course of action, with an individual or in a wider group setting
  • Self-awareness & Reflectivity - Having an awareness of your own strengths, weaknesses, aims and objectives. Able to regularly review, evaluate and reflect upon the performance of yourself and others
  • Leadership - Able to lead and manage, develop action plans and objectives, offer guidance and direction to others, and cope with the related pressures such authority can result in

Subject specific skills

  • Develop the ability to interpret legal rules and employ techniques of legal reasoning competently and efficiently in order to offer a range of solutions and conclusions to actual or hypothetical complex legal problems, all supported by relevant academic literature, jurisprudence and legislative research. Such solutions will be clearly communicated and presented
  • Develop the ability to analyse complex legal issues, set against the background of the political, social, economic or cultural contexts in which they may arise
  • Develop those skills which are necessary for scholarship and research in legal subjects, namely the ability to identify relevant primary and secondary legal sources and to retrieve accurate legal information using paper and electronic sources

Resources

Resource implications for students

Most resources in the reading list will be drawn from sources already available to students through the library. Consideration will be given if the textbook is changed, to the cost of that textbook.

Talis Reading list

http://readinglists.bangor.ac.uk/modules/sxl-3110.html

Reading list

The core text for this module will be A. Abass, Complete International Law (2nd edition). Class readings will be provided in the syllabus.

Pre- and Co-requisite Modules

Courses including this module

Optional in courses: