Programme Description 

This course provides students with a basic understanding of international law, focusing on foundational structures that are necessary to engage with any international legal issue. In addition students are introduced to a number of contemporary problems of world order that require the application of the foundational rules and structures to develop awareness of both the limitations and potential of international law as a tool for change.

Students will leave the course with the capacity to address international legal problems with confidence as well as awareness of specific contemporary issues and how international law is dealing with emergent and on-going concerns including: the relationship between business and human rights; refugees; technology; feminism; and the use of force outside of the collective security structures. 

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the course, a student should be able to demonstrate:

• Understanding of the foundations of international law, including the sources of international law, statehood, state immunity, and state responsibility for breaches of international obligations;
• Capacity for critical interrogation of specific regimes within international law, in particular international environmental law; law of the sea; international human rights law; international criminal law; and collective security structures;
• Ability to reflect and engage with the spaces for transformation of international law to address persistent inequalities within the global order. 

Credits

Students are usually able to obtain credits from their home institution and typically our courses receive 3 credits in the US system and 7.5 ECTS in the European system. If you intend to claim credits from your home institution, please check the requirements with them before you enrol. We will be happy to assist you in any way we can, however please be aware that the decision to award credits rests with your home institution.

Assessment will be optional and will vary for each course. Participants will be provided with a certificate of attendance and a Record of Study will be available on request.

Enquiries 

For more information, please fill out our enquiries form

Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings

Start of programme: 1 July - 19 July 2019

Mode of Attendance: Full-time

Programme structure:

Week 1: Foundations of international law

• Introduction to international law
• Sources of international law
• Subjects of international law
• Jurisdiction and Immunities
• State responsibility

Week 2: Contemporary issues

• Law of the Sea
• International Environmental Law
• International Human Rights Law
• Self-determination of Peoples
• International Criminal Law

Week 3: Emergent Problems

• Business and Human Rights
• Refugees
• Feminism
• Technology: Drones
• Collective Security – the authorisation of force

Assessment: is optional and will be in the form of a 2000-2500 word essay to be handed in 2 weeks after the end of the course.

Important notice

Teaching & Learning

Contact hours:

46 hours (lectures, tutorials, activities). The course will be delivered Monday - Friday over the 3 weeks.

Core hours:

Monday - Friday, 10am-3pm. In addition to regular lectures and tutorials, each course is composed of a range of activities relating to their academic content (e.g. museum visit, company visit etc). 

Recommended Text-book

Malcolm Evans (ed.), International Law (5th ed., Oxford University Press, 2018)  

Or

Jan Klabbers, International Law (2nd ed., Cambridge University Press, 2017)

Cases and Materials

David Harris & Sandesh Sivakumaran (eds), Cases and Materials on International Law (8th ed., Sweet and Maxwell, 2015)

Tuition Fees

£1,600

Application fee

A one-off, non-refundable application fee of £40 will be charged to cover administration costs. Please visit the SOAS online store to make your application fee payment.

Discounts

20% discount for our partner institutions

Accommodation

Accommodation is available to Summer School students at the SOAS halls of residence, Dinwiddy House. For more details of how to book a room please visit the Dinwiddy House accommodation page.

Scholarships

For further details and information on external scholarships visit the Scholarships section

How to Apply

Click to apply

Entry Requirements

In order to join the Academic Summer School, students should meet the following entry requirements:

• A university student or a graduate at the time of attending. Professional experience can be acknowledged as equivalent to a university qualification.
• Participants must be 18 or over at the time of attendance.
• Fluency in English language is recommended for non-credit courses, but essential for SOAS Accredited courses. Proficiency can be demonstrated through:
• IELTS, 6.5 overall or higher, with at least 6 in all sub scores.
• TOEFL Paper based test we require a minimum of 583 with minimum 53 in all skills and for TOEFL Internet Based Test we require a minimum of 93 with minimum 20 in all skills. 
• Pearson Test of English a score of 59-64
• Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) Grade B
• If you have studied in an English speaking institution, or have courses taught at your university in English (excluding English language courses) you may meet our requirements without having to supply a certificate. Evidence of this will either need to be included on a transcript or letter from your university. 
• If you are unsure whether you meet the above entry requirements, please contact us to discuss your application.

Enrolment of applicants who do not meet the entry requirements is at the discretion of SOAS – please get in touch to speak to us about your application and we will be happy to help. 

Application Procedure

Once you have paid the £40 application fee and submitted the online application form, you will be informed as to whether you have a place on the summer school within 5 working days. Please do not pay your tuition fee prior to having received your offer letter.

Application Deadline

Applications now accepted on a rolling basis for all courses

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