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.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here - you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
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
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
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