Module LAW2144 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
LAW2144: International Law and the United Kingdom
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
The module is designed to provide you with an understanding of the key features of the international legal order and the role that international law plays in enabling and constraining the UK’s action on the international stage. It will enable you to discover the effect that international rules have in English law and their impact on government decision-making. The problem-oriented approach will allow you to study certain specific legal and policy challenges in greater detail and to benefit directly from the research undertaken by members of the teaching team in this area. Overall, the module will complement your knowledge of English and European law by equipping you with a better understanding of the role of law in international affairs.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
---|---|
Module-Specific Skills | 1. demonstrate a critical understanding of the key features of the international legal order, the relationship between international law and English law, and the impact of international law on the United Kingdom. 2. demonstrate critical understanding and detailed knowledge of the operation and impact of international law in certain selected areas of study. |
Discipline-Specific Skills | 3. demonstrate a critical understanding of the role of law and legal argument as a constraining and enabling factor for political decision-making. 4. apply legal knowledge to complex problems and apply judgement when presented with competing policy imperatives. |
Personal and Key Skills | 5. prepare analytically compelling work that relies on diverse primary and secondary sources, employs appropriate interpretative techniques and presents a nuanced line of argument. 6. engage in debate effectively and to develop complex arguments and opinions with limited guidance. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
The following syllabus plan is indicative and may be subject to change, including in response to current developments. Some topics may be delivered by guest lecturers.
A rules-based international order
- introduction to the course
- the UK and a rules-based international order
International law in the domestic setting
- the effect of treaties and custom in English law
- exercising jurisdiction
- foreign States in English courts
- judicial review of foreign policy
Security, Conflict and Competition
- collective security and self-defence
- counter-terrorism
- nuclear deterrence
- cyber operations
- humanitarian intervention
- competition in the gray zone
International cooperation, values and commons
- membership in international organizations
- promoting human rights
- making law at the global level
- climate change and the environment
- protecting cultural property
- law of the sea
- managing international trade
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 |
---|---|---|
30 | 120 | 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 | 22 | 22 x 1 hour lectures |
Scheduled learning and teaching | 6 | 3 x 2 hour seminars |
Scheduled learning and teaching | 2 | Exeter Centre for International Law seminar |
Guided independent study | 60 | reading and lecture preparation |
Guided independent study | 40 | summative assessment preparation |
Guided independent study | 14 | formative assessment preparation |
Guided independent study | 6 | seminar preparation |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
Other Learning Resources
J. Hunt, Foreign Secretary's speech at the United States Institute For Peace, 21 August 2018 (https://www.gov.uk/).
R. Reichold, Do Ministers have to comply with international law? Court of Appeal looks at legal challenge, 20 November 2018 (Law of Nations blog).
M. Weller, An International Use of Force in Salisbury?, 14 March 2018 (EJIL Talk blog).
J. Klabbers, International Law (2nd edn, 2017).
V. Lowe, International Law: A Very Short Introduction (2007).
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.