Corsi di Studio del Dipartimento di Giurisprudenza

The course aims to enable the students to understand the basics of international law as a legal order, i.e. the system of the international community as regards: its subjects; its norms; the main content of its norms; the enforcement of its norms. Students shall also be able to understand the issue of the relations between international and national legal orders.

Students will be required to attain a good knowledge of the topics and issues treated during the course and to be able to consciously make use of the conceptual tools acquired.

For students attending the course:

The course mainly consists of live sessions (in presence and live streamed, if possible, or virtual only).

Live sessions will include both lectures (usually with powerpoint presentations) and learning activities.

Learning activities may require reading of different types of materials (newspaper articles, case analyses, legal documents such as treaties or parts of them, case law...), self-assessment tests and/or class discussion.

Learning activities including self-assessment tests may also occur outside live sessions, in preparation of them or ex post.

Powerpoint presentations and materials/tools supporting learning activities will be made available on the Moodle platform.

Students attending the course are required to take part to the live sessions regularly and do the learning activities.

It is therefore IMPERATIVE that students wishing to attend the course enrol in the teaching platform (Moodle) prior to the beginning of the course, to have prompt access to materials and communications.

For both attending and non-attending students:

The final exam consists of a written exam with open questions (90 minutes). Students will be given 5 questions (that may vary for attending and non-attending students) and will have to answer 4 of them of their choice.

If required by a situation of health emergency, either general or specific to duly-justified individual cases, the sessions in presence will be replaced by an oral exam in a virtual session.

The evaluation (grade: out of 30, with the possibility of obtaining 30 cum laude) will be based, in particular, on correct and complete elements of the answers, structure and clarity of the text, and correct terminology.

The programme will cover the following topics (modules):

1. the subjects of the international legal order;

2. customary and treaty sources, general principles of international law, acts adopted by international organizations;

3. the main contents of international norms (esp.: limitations to States' sovereignty as regards the use of territory; States' immunities and diplomatic immunities; treatment of foreigners; etc.);

4. international wrongs and the consequences of international law breaches;

5. use of force and peaceful means of dispute settlement;

6. the relationship between domestic law and international law.

Non-attending students must prepare on EITHER Jan Klabber's International Law (all) OR Anders Henriksen's International law (all).

Attending students will be examined on the course topics as they will have been tackled in class. Studying on (duly-taken) class notes and materials uploaded on the Moodle platform is required; moreover, the same topics which have been tackled in class must be studied on EITHER Klabber's International Law (chapters 2 to 10 and 16) OR Henriksen's International law (chapters 1 to 7, 9, 12 and 13).