Outline

Overview

This unit provides an introduction to public international law. Its purpose is to ensure that students have a thorough understanding of the core principles and problems of, and contemporary issues in, international law. The unit covers the following topics: nature and scope of public international law, sources of public international law, international legal personality, the law of treaties, how title to territory is acquired, state jurisdiction in international law, immunity from jurisdiction, state responsibility for international wrongs, dispute settlement, and the legality of the use of force.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Law
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	LAWS1023 or LAWS5005
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Alison Pert, alison.pert@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Alison Pert, alison.pert@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Chester Brown, chester.brown@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Final exam (Open book)	Final exam Part 1 Formal exam of 2 hours (inclusive) for all students	50%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Final exam (Open book)	Final exam Part 2 Formal exam of 2 hours (inc) for students not submitting a research essay	0%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Research essay An optional research essay of 4,000 words	50%	Week 10 Due date: 12 Oct 2020 at 16:00	4,000 words
Outcomes assessed:
= Type C final exam ? = Type C final exam ?

Assessment summary

1.A 2-hour final take-home exam (“Part 1”) for all students (50%),

Final exam Part 1 will be a problem question, for all students. It will be a timed exam of 2 hours including reading time, released on Canvas on a date to be advised (during the exam period). Answers must be submitted via Turnitin.

2. EITHER a research essay of 4,000 words (50%), OR an additional 2-hour final take-home exam (“Part 2”) (50%).

The research essay will be a 4,000-word essay on a topic to be determined in the first week.

Final exam Part 2 will be an essay question, for those students who choose not to write a research essay. It will be a timed exam of 2 hours including reading time, released on Canvas on a date to be advised (during the exam period). Answers must be submitted via Turnitin.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Completely answers the question. Contains striking originality of approach or analysis. Demonstrates exhaustive or innovative research (where independent research required). Exceptionally well written, structured and expressed. Is otherwise exceptional in some way.
Distinction	75 - 84	Completely answers the question. Achieves a critical and evaluative approach to the issues. Content and structure is well organised in support of the argument. Demonstrates extensive research and analysis to support a well-documented argument. Generally well expressed and free from errors. Has a clear structure and is well articulated.
Credit	65 - 74	Covers main issues fairly well in answering the question. Contains no significant errors. Demonstrates an attempted critical approach to the issues. Demonstrates reasonably sound research and analysis in addressing the key issues. Has a clear structure and reasonably clear expression.
Pass	50 - 64	Identifies the key issues, but does not follow through with a reasoned argument. Contains some significant errors. Displays satisfactory engagement with the key issues. Offers descriptive summary of material relevant to the question. Superficial use of material, and may display a tendency to paraphrase. Demonstrates little evidence of in-depth research or analysis. Adequate expression. Demonstrates the minimum level of competence and satisfies the requirements to proceed to higher-level studies.
Fail	0 - 49	Does not answer the question. Contains significant or numerous errors. Few or no identifiable arguments. Content that is inappropriate or irrelevant. Lack of research or analysis. Difficult or impossible to understand through poor grammar, expression or structure. Overall, does not demonstrate the minimum level of competence in the assessment.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

A late penalty of 5% per day or part thereof for the research essay will apply.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Development, nature and scope of international law	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	1. Introduction to the United Nations; 2. Sources of international law	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 03	Relationship between international law and domestic law	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 04	Personality, statehood, recognition	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 05	Title to territory	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 06	Law of treaties	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 07	State jurisdiction	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 08	Immunity from jurisdiction 1	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 09	Immunity from jurisdiction 2	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 10	State responsibility	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 11	Diplomatic protection	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 12	Use of force	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 13	Settlement of disputes	Lecture (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Mode of delivery:

The pandemic means that postgraduate classes for this semester will continue to be mainly online. However, the University is encouraging at least some face-to-face teaching wherever it is possible and safe. To accommodate this, LAWS6243 will be taught in the following way this semester:

Instead of one x two-hour class per week, there will be two x one-hour classes
The first one-hour class will be pre-recorded by Prof Chester Brown and uploaded to Canvas
This lecture by Prof Brown will cover the first half of each week’s material
The second one-hour class will be held at 7pm each Tuesday, with two options

- Prof Brown will teach a face-to-face class, in the Law School, for those of you who would prefer in-person classes. These will be held 7-8pm in NLS Lecture Theatre 024.
- Dr Alison Pert will teach an online class via Zoom

The two simultaneous classes will cover exactly the same material, and both will be recorded and uploaded to Canvas

The pre-recorded lecture by Prof Brown will be made available in time for you to watch it before the 7pm class each week

Word count penalty: A piece of assessment which exceeds the prescribed word limit will attract a penalty of 5% of the total marks available for the piece of assessment for every 100 words, or part thereof. The total word count for essays and other written assessments will:

exclude: bibliography; footnote numbers; footnote citations; cover page and
include: body text; headings and sub-headings; quotations; anything other than numbers and citations in footnotes.

Referencing: The Sydney Law School expects you to use the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (4th edition, 2018) for your footnoting style, although you should confirm this with your lecturer, and a link to the library website where this is set out comprehensively is available at https://libguides.library.usyd.edu.au/c.php?g=508212&p=347637

With the move to online delivery the Law School attendance requirement no longer applies. Students should refer to Canvas for details of class engagement in individual units of study.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.

Malcolm Evans, International Law (5th ed, Oxford University Press, 2018)
M Dixon, R McCorquodale, S Williams, Cases and Materials on International Law 6th ed. (Oxford University Press, 2016)

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. demonstrate legal analysis and reasoning, including the capacity to engage in a critical analysis of the sources of international law, international legal arguments, and international legal theories
LO2. analyse complex fact situations involving issues of public international law, to identify those issues, and to apply relevant legal principles to the problem
LO3. undertake postgraduate-level legal research on issues of public international law, to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate sources and authorities, and to use those sources and authorities without violating the rules on academic dishonesty
LO4. write in a clear and logical manner, using plain and concise language and appropriate referencing, on issues of public international law.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered, apart from delivery changes necessitated by the combination of online and on-campus options.

Additional information

Resources - Sydney Law students

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

LAWS6243: International Law I

Semester 2 Early, 2020 [Normal evening] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect