• Offered by ANU Law School
  • ANU College ANU College of Law
  • Course subject Laws
  • Areas of interest Law
  • Academic career PGRD
  • Course convener
    • Sarah Heathcote
  • Mode of delivery In Person
  • Co-taught Course
  • Offered in Second Semester 2018
    See Future Offerings

This course deals with the body of law known as International Law or sometimes 'Public International Law', as distinct from 'Private International Law'. The field of International Law deals with many aspects of the functioning of the international community (including the treatment by States with each other and with international organisations); it also affects many activities that occur within or across State boundaries (including the treatment by States of their citizens, environmental law, military operations, and many other areas). The impact of international law on the Australian legal system and the globalised nature of many governmental judicial and social activities means that a basic knowledge of the terminology, institutions, and substance of international law is not only worthwhile acquiring in its own right, but is also a necessary part of the knowledge and skills of any law graduate.

Learning Outcomes

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

By the end of the course you should be able to:

• Define, explain, distinguish and apply the basic concepts and terminology of public international law;

• define and distinguish amongst a variety of processes by which international law is formed and the roles played by the most important bodies and institutions involved in the international legal system;

• define and contrast the many aspecys of the international law relating to treaties and the use of force, and identify and debate the relevance of those topics to current events;

• recognise and appraise the interaction between the international legal system and the Australian legal system, and to formulate and appraise the particular focus on the international law of human rights;

• identify, interpret, apply, appraise and intergrate the various theoretical perspectives on the formation and operation of the international legal system;

• explain and demonstrate through particular cases the relevance of international law to current political and social developments at the international and national levels;

• compare and creatively apply a variety of methods of research in the field of international law;

• select and apply a range of approaches in oral and written communication, and apply the critical thinking required to bring about creative solutions to complex legal problems on a world stage;

• Use, interpret and apply a wide range of materials in both on-line and traditional media from international and national sources.

Other Information

This course offers a significant foundational framework for the study of: Advanced International Criminal Law, Law of the Sea, International Dispute Resolution, International Environmental Law, International Human Rights Law, International Trade Law, and any other specialised international law unit, and provides the substantial grounding needed for participation in the Jessup Moot LAWS3010.

Indicative Assessment

There are three pieces of assessment:

• Compulsory non-redeemable 1800 word essay (20%)

• Collaborative, non-redeemable 5000 word research essay (20%)

• Compulsory, non-redeemable end-of-semester examination (60%) (1.5 hours writing, 30 mins reading)

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

1 x 2 hour lecture and 1 x 1 hour lecture blocks in weeks 1-2; and thereafter: 1 x 2 hour lecture blocks in weeks 3-4; 1 hour JD Seminar in weeks 5-12; 1 hour Library Tutorials offered in weeks 3-4.

Requisite and Incompatibility

To enrol in this course you must be studying the Juris Doctor and must have completed or be completing five LAWS 1000 or 6100 level courses. Additionally you must have completed or be completing LAWS1205/6105 Australian Public Law.

Prescribed Texts

Information about prescribed texts will be made available in the course outline.  See the course home page.

Preliminary Reading

The preliminary reading required for this course will be available from the course home page at least one week prior to the commencement of the course.

A reading guide will be available on the course web page.

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
2018 $4080
International fee paying students
Year Fee
2018 $5400
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.

Second Semester

Class number Class start date Last day to enrol Census date Class end date Mode Of Delivery Class Summary
8351 23 Jul 2018 30 Jul 2018 31 Aug 2018 26 Oct 2018 In Person N/A

Responsible Officer: Registrar, Student Administration / Page Contact: Website Administrator / Frequently Asked Questions