Module LAWM117 for 2017/8
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Postgraduate Module Descriptor
LAWM117: The Law of International Organisations
This module descriptor refers to the 2017/8 academic year.
Module Aims
The aim of the module is to provide you with a thorough understanding of the law of international organisations. You will be introduced to a variety of international as well as regional organisations and in particular to their place, role and differing functions under contemporary Public International Law. The module The law of International Organisations will be taught by a law in context approach. You will discuss issues relating to the law of international organisations predominantly from the perspective of public international law but you will also get accustomed to how some international organisations view their relationship with the international community in order to develop a critical understanding of contemporary international developments.
Students who complete the module will have acquired a solid understanding of the role and functions of international organisations as partners of the United Nations in crisis management as well as of the relationship between international organisations and their member states.
Students will be introduced to the process of conducting research in order to develop their own research skills.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
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Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate detailed knowledge of the legal framework regulating the role and functions of international organisations under international law in general; 2. Demonstrate critical understanding of the role and functions of international and regional organisations under the law of the United Nations; 3. Demonstrate critical understanding of the legal and political relationships between various international organisations; 4. Demonstrate critical understanding of the legal relationship between international organisations and their member states; |
Discipline-Specific Skills | 5. Develop, apply and critically assess international legal arguments, using a wide range of appropriate primary materials and advanced scholarship; 6. Demonstrate critical understanding of the relationship between the different branches and sources of rules of law, including potential norm conflicts, and between legal and non-legal considerations impacting on legal argument and advice; |
Personal and Key Skills | 7. Identify, retrieve and use efficiently and autonomously a range of library-based and electronic resources; 8. Process and evaluate effectively a substantial body of complex and sometimes contradictory legal and non-legal information; 9. Communicate and engage in debate effectively and accurately; 10. Conduct independent research. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
Introduction to the Law of International Organisations: the UN, EU, NATO and AU
Conference, Contract or Constitution?
Legal Personality and Powers
Membership and Financing
Law-making of International Organisations
Regional Organisations under Public International Law and their role as security providers
Use of sanctions by International Organisations
Use of military force by International Organisations
Co-operation between International Organisations in practice: the case of crisis management and effective multilateralism
Accountability and Responsibility of International Organisations
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
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33 | 267 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
Category | Hours of study time | Description |
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Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 30 | Seminars (10 x 3 hours): the main teaching method for the module consists of weekly seminars requiring active participation by all students under guidance of the module convenor. |
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 3 | Exercise: this activity will take place over two days and simulate a command post exercise to provide you with an opportunity to apply your knowledge in a practical setting. |
Guided Independent Study | 197 | Assigned seminar readings. |
Guided Independent Study | 55 | Preparation of the assessed/summative essay. |
Guided Independent Study | 12 | Preparation of the assessed/summative poster presentation |
Guided Independent Study | 3 | Preparation for the simulation exercise. |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
United Nations http://www.un.org/en/index.html
European Union https://europa.eu/european-union/index_en
African Union https://www.au.int/
NATO http://www.nato.int/nato-welcome/index.html
How this Module is Assessed
In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.
Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
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Research paper proposal (Students will pick their own research topic falling within the general theme of the module.) | 1,000 words | 1-10 | Written feedback from the module convenor |
Individual and group work forming part of a simulated command post exercise | 1,000 words | 1-10 | Individual and collective oral feedback from the exercise participants |
Summative Assessment
A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.
Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
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100 | 0 | 0 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
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Research poster design (Students will pick their own research topic falling within the general theme of the module.) | 15 | A3 poster (no more than 500 words) | 1-10 | Written feedback from the module convenor; oral feedback from the module convenor and the seminar group |
Research essay (Students will pick their own research topic falling within the general theme of the module.) | 85 | 5,000 words | 1-10 | Written feedback from the module convenor |
Re-assessment
Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.
Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
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Research poster design (Students will pick their own research topic falling within the general theme of the module.) | A3 poster (no more than 500 words) | 1-10 | August/September re-assessment period |
Research essay (Students will pick their own research topic falling within the general theme of the module.) | Research essay (5,000 words) | 1-10 | August/September re-assessment period |