Entry requirements

General entry requirements + English 6.

Progression level in relation to degree requirements

The course is not part of a main field of studies.

Course contents

The aim of the course is to acquire basic knowledge and understanding of international law, and how it is formed, regulated and applied. The course introduces the traditional legal fields of international law, key concepts and principles and how public international law relates to other systems of law. The course also provides basic practical skills in legal analysis by training in solving legal issues in an international context and analyzing cases through the means of legal method.

The course covers the basics of the international legal system with focus on public international law, its classification and features along with substantive law. The course addresses the following parts:

• The nature of public international law
• Sources
• Legal actors – states, international organizations and private actors
• States’ fundamental rights and obligations – sovereignty, territorial law, the Law of the Sea and jurisdiction
• State responsibility
• States’ representation and immunities
• Settlements of legal disputes

Learning outcomes

After completing of the course the student will:

1. have basic knowledge of the structure and substantive areas of public international law;
2. have basic knowledge of how public international law relates to other legal systems;
3. have knowledge of the law-making process;
4. have knowledge about legal method;
5. demonstrate an ability to read and analyse cases and situations relating to public international law; and
6. demonstrate an ability to identify and differentiate legal issues, and to apply sources relating to public international law;

Learning activities

The course is designed for part-time study. The teacher-led time is in the form of lectures, seminars and workshops. The majority of the student’s workload consists of independent study. Students are responsible for reading and preparing in conjunction with the teacher-led activities and for coming well prepared to each session. Students are expected to take their own initiatives to form study groups.

Assessment

The students’ performance in the course are assessed by a written exam.

Course literature

• Klabbers, Jan, (latest ed) International Law, Cambridge UP; eller Henriksen, Anders (2018), International Law (OUP)
• Brownlie, Ian (latest ed) Principles of Public International Law (OUP)
• Evans, D. Malcolm (latest ed), Blackstone’s International Law Documents, Oxford UP (or equivalent compilation of international treaties and other relevant instruments)

500 pages of additional reading material may be added to the reading list.

Course evaluation

Malmö University provides students who participate in, or who have completed a course, with the opportunity to express their opinions and describe their experiences of the course by completing a course evaluation administered by the University. The University will compile and summarise the results of course evaluations. The University will also inform participants of the results and any decisions relating to measures taken in response to the course evaluations. The results will be made available to the students (HF 1:14).

Interim rules

If a course is no longer offered, or has undergone significant changes, the students must be offered two opportunities for re-examination based on the syllabus that applied at the time of registration, for a period of one year after the changes have been implemented.

Additional information

The syllabus is a translation of a Swedish source text.

If a student has a Learning support decision, the examiner has the right to provide the student with an adapted test, or to allow the student to take the exam in a different format.