International Law

International Law course content:

The International Law course provides an insight of the tension between ethics (idealism) and politics (realism) in the “international legal policy” of states. The course is divided into several areas of study in international law:
1) Presentation of the international legal order and its links to history and the evolution of international relations;
2) Subjects of international law: States (creation, boundaries, sovereignty), international organizations (definition, legal personality) and private individuals (rights and legal obligations);
3) Sources of international law : custom, treaty and other sources;
4) Implementation of international law : coercive and non coercive measures, settlement of disputes, responsibility;
5) A study of various aspects of the rule prohibiting the use of force in contemporary international law: self-defense, authorization by the Security Council, links with the fight against “terrorism” or “non-state armed groups”, the right of humanitarian intervention, etc. For each of these points, the position of states is determined on the basis of precedents, including current ones;
6) The rules of international law that apply in situations of war. More specifically, it will examine the rules applicable between belligerent parties in times of armed conflict that govern the conduct of hostilities and the protection of war victims, as well as the means to ensure the emplementation of these rules (“law of armed conflict”, “international humanitarian law” or “jus in bello”);
7) The rules of diplomatic and consular law.

Objectives of the International Law course:

The course seeks first to convey to students the logic, rationale and main principles underlying the international law.
Secondly, the course aims at mastering the most important elements of international law, the fundamental concepts and the main instruments. At the end of the course the students should be able to apply the rules of international law in times of peace and armed conflict in concrete cases.
Thirdly, the course aims to examine current debates on the use of force and international security. The perspective is essentially legal, but also includes a sociological dimension referring to the role of law in international relations.
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
1) Understand the international legal order, its scope and its limits, with aparticular emphasis on the tensions that characterise it;
2) Master the fundamental concepts, principles and rules of international law, so as to be able to apply them to practical cases, particularly current issues;
3) Ensure autonomy in legal reasoning by providing students with adequate conceptual and methodological tools;
4) Acquiring in-depth knowledge of the rules of public international law applicable in times of armed conflict;
5) Developement of students’ ability to analyze and interpret the rules of armed conflict;
6) Developement of students’ ability to apply the rules of armed conflict to concrete cases;
7) Acquiring in-depth knowledge of the rules of diplomatic and consular law.

Prerequisites:

No pre-requisites are necessary, as this course provides a comprehensive knowledge of international law, from its origins to its current state.
Considering that the language of instruction and examination is French, therefore, a good command of the French language is required and, if necessary, an upgrade during the sessions should be planned.

Teaching methods:

Combination of 12 online courses of 1 hour and 30 minutes each, readings and practical cases. A short pratical exercise should be completed for each course session.
The course includes a theoretical component, consisting of the presentation of the main rules of international law, the complexities of their interpretation and the current problems related to their application.
The theoretical presentation will be accompanied and complemented by a practical component consisting of the resolution of practical exercises. This practical component is extremely important for the success of the course and will be carried out throughout the course sessions. Thus, small practical exercices must be completed before each class session. Then, the resolution of these practical exercises will be integrated into the sessions of the online course.
A complete bibliographical list to help solve practical cases is provided to students via the Policy Center website or by email.

Evaluation:

The final grade (on a scale of 20) will be based on two elements.
On the one hand, one of the practical exercises sent by email before each course session will be evaluated (on 5 points); it is therefore essential to send the requested exercise each week, within the allotted time, even if you do not attend the online course. If the document to be corrected has not been sent, a grade of 0/5 will be given. Each week, the teacher will randomly select some practical exercises that will be graded.
On the other hand, a 2-hour online exam will be organised (graded out of 15), including questions on a practical case (real or fictional) and a complementary question focusing more on fundamental reflection.
Students may use any documents they consider useful and must submit all their assignments by email within the allotted time.
Therefore, the final grade will be distributed as follows:
– Practical exercises (25% of the final grade), based on the resolution of practical cases submitted throughout the course sessions;
– 2-hour online exam (75% of the final grade).
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