• Offered by Law School
  • ANU College ANU College of Law
  • Classification Advanced
    Specialist
  • Course subject Laws
  • Areas of interest Environmental Studies, Law

This course introduces students to the nature of transboundary environmental challenges and the development of international norms and institutions to address them.

Fundamental issues addressed by the course include:

  • the ethical framework for international environmental policies and laws,
  • the origin and development of international environmental law,
  • sources of international environmental law,
  • actors in global environmental governance and the nature of international environmental norms.

Much of the course is devoted to specific subject areas of environmental governance such as:

  • biodiversity and biosafety,
  • marine environmental protection,
  • the Antarctic environment,
  • the implementation of international environmental law in Australia, and
  • mechanisms for dispute settlement, compliance and enforcement.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

By the conclusion of this course, it is intended that students who have successfully completed all the course requirements will be able to:
  1. Explain the history and development of international environmental law as a distinct field of public international law, and have a clear, enhanced understanding of its principles;
  2. Critically examine the ethical debates surrounding environmental policy and law-making and identify the limits and utility of the norms relating to the global environment;
  3. Illuminate the interaction and tension between various international actors and institutions in the development and implementation of international environmental norms;
  4. Apply norms and principles of international environmental law in a problem-solving context; and
  5. Research, critically examine and communicate in writing about a problem or specific aspect of international environmental law.

Other Information

This is an intensive course with a 3 day compulsory intensive (see LLM timetable for dates).

Approximately 6 weeks from the completion of the intensive your final assessment will be due. Contact with fellow students and the convenor, both prior to the intensive and after, is conducted via the Wattle course site.

Indicative Assessment

Assessment is likely to consist of:
  1. Class participation (10%)
  2. Research Essay (90%, 6,000 words).
Students must rely on the Course Study Guide which will be posted to the Wattle course site approximately four weeks prior to the commencement of the course.

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Workload

26 hours of face to face teaching (3 day intensive). The course will also require advanced preparation through assigned readings. In total, it is anticipated that the hours required for completion this course (class preparation, teaching and completion of assessment) will not exceed 120 hours. 

Click here for the LLM Masters Program timetable

Requisite and Incompatibility

To enrol in this course you must be studying a: Master of Laws specialising in International Law (7300SINTL), Master of Laws in International Law (NLLIL), Master of Diplomacy/Master of International Law (7893XMINTL), Master of Diplomacy/Master Laws (7883SINTL), Master of International Law (7310XMINTL), and completed LAWS8182 Principles of International Law OR Must be studying a: Master of Legal Studies (7305XMLEGS) Master of Environmental Law (7309XMENVL) Master of Government and Commercial Law (7313XMGCL) Master of Law, Governance and Development (7317XMLGD) Master of International Security Law 97318XMISL) and completed LAWS8189 Fundamentals of Environmental Law OR Master of Laws (7300XLLM, MLLM) Master of Laws specialising in Law, Governance and Development (7300SLGD) Master of Laws specialising in Environmental Law (7300SENVL) Master of Laws specialising in Government and Commercial Law (7300SGCL) Master of Laws specialising in International Security Law (7300SISL) Master of Laws in Migration (NLLML) Master of Laws in Environmental Law (NLLEN) Master of Laws in Law, Governance & Development (NLLGD) Master of Laws in International Security Law (NLLSL) Master of Laws in Government and Regulation (NLLGR) Master of Laws (Legal Practice) (7312XLLMLP) OR Must be studying a Juris Doctor (7330XJD, 7330HJD or MJD) and completed or be completing five LAWS1000 level or 6100 level courses, and LAWS2250 International Law or LAWS6250 International Law OR Must be studying a Graduate Certificate of Law (CLAW) and have completed LAWS8586 Law and Legal Institutions and (LAWS8182 Principles of International Law or LAWS8189 Fundamentals of Environmental Law) OR Must be studying a Master of Military Law (MMILL) OR Must be studying a Juris Doctor (MJDOL) and have completed the course LAWS8712 Australian Public Law & International Law B

Prescribed Texts

There is no prescribed text for this course.

Preliminary Reading

All students are expected to read the following single article prior to attending the intensive session of the Course, for the purpose of discussion on the first day.
  • Rakhyun E. Kim and Klaus Bosselmann, “International Environmental Law in the Anthropocene: Towards a Purposive System of Multilateral Environmental Agreements”, Transnational Environmental Law, July 2015, pp 1 – 25, Available on CJO 2013 doi:10.1017/
    http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S2047102513000149

Students must rely on the approved Course Study Guide which will be posted to the Wattle course site approximately 4 weeks prior to the commencement of the course.

An e-brick will be available on the Wattle course site.

Assumed Knowledge

Students without an Australian law degree must have completed LAWS8189 Fundamentals of Environmental Law (FEL)

Fees

Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.  

If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.

Student Contribution Band:
3
Unit value:
6 units

If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.  Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.

Units EFTSL
6.00 0.12500
Domestic fee paying students
Year Fee
2016 $3252
International fee paying students
Year Fee
2016 $4638
Note: Please note that fee information is for current year only.

Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

The list of offerings for future years is indicative only.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.

Spring Session

Class number Class start date Last day to enrol Census date Class end date Mode Of Delivery Class Summary
9721 22 Nov 2017 22 Nov 2017 01 Dec 2017 05 Jan 2018 In Person N/A

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