LAW 7170 - Public International Law

This course provides students with an understanding of the system of public international law which regulates relations between actors on the global stage. Students will be provided with a foundation in the nature of international law, covering the following: sources of international law, in particular centering on treaty law; customary international law, general principles of law and soft law; interpretation, negotiation and compliance; and the relationship between international law and Australian domestic law. This foundational knowledge of public international law will then be applied to a selection of topics in the field. Topics covered in any given iteration of the course will be drawn from the following: statehood and state responsibility; territory and legal personality; subjectivity in the international legal system (states, non-state actors, institutions, groups, individuals and corporations); jurisdiction and immunity; human rights law; the United Nations system and the International Court of Justice; the Security Council and the law on the use of force; international humanitarian law; the law of the sea and international dispute resolution; business and human rights; the European Union and international law; and the law of international development cooperation.