LAW37470 Advanced International Law - The Law of Int Organisations

Academic Year 2024/2025

This module examines the legal regimes governing and produced by inter-governmental organisations. This includes a consideration of the legal and conceptual nature of such organisations. It seeks to discern unity, while recognising that each organisation has its individual legal characteristics. Issues to be considered include the constitutional base, legal personality, legal powers, membership issues, voting, decision making, legal order, accountability and responsibility. The primary focus in this part of the module will be on the United Nations, though references will be made to other inter-governmental organisations to illustrate the diversity of these organisations.

The second part of the module examines the interaction between international organisations as they seek to promote specific international law goals. The focus will be on the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Sustainable Development Goal 2 - Zero Hunger - which will also involve a brief discussion of Sustainable Development Goals 13 - Climate Action and 14 - Life under Water. The international organisations that will be addressed range from the United Nations, the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Trade Organisation. The module will be completed by examining the approach taken by the European Union to the realisation of SDG 2, both internally and externally, through the concept of sustainable agriculture.

The themes that run throughout the module are:
• The impact of international organisations on the international legal order;
• The impact of international organisations on state sovereignty;
• The legal nature of international organisations - are they founded upon contracts or constitutions?
• The legal consequences of international organisations being legal persons;
• The legal order produced by international organisations and their interrelationship;
• The common legal features governing the establishment and activities of international organisations.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of the module, students should:
(i) have an enhanced appreciation and understanding of the constitution, powers and practice of a number of key inter-governmental organisations;
(ii) be able to identify and analyse the legal rules and problems applicable across such organisations;
(iii) be able to analyse and evaluate current and developing practices of various organisations;
(iv) be able to place the legal regimes governing organisations and produced by them within wider political and theoretical frameworks.

On completion of this module, students should also have enhanced the generally transferable
skills and specific skills already developed throughout their degree programmes:
- the ability to conduct legal research, especially using international legal materials and;
- the ability to present a coherent written legal argument.

Indicative Module Content:

- Legal Personality of International Organisations
- Powers of International Organisations
- Membership, Financing and Structures of International Organisations
- Privileges, Immunities, Accountability and Responsibility
- International Organisations and the Law of Treaties
- International Organisations and Law Making
- Development in the United Nations
- understanding SDG 2

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24
Autonomous Student Learning

125
Total

149
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This module adopts the traditional lecture approach to the delivery of the module. Students will have the opportunity during Office Consultation Hours to discuss any problems they are having with the content of the module and to discuss the examination. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Learning Requirements:

Basic understanding of public international law. Whilst LAW30730 Public International Law is not a formal pre-requisite, it is necessary that students have either completed this module or taken some introductory studies in public international law.

Learning Recommendations:

Strong foundation in international law, for example, through completion of LAW 30730 Public International Law.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Exam (In-person): Examination: A one-hour closed book examination in which students will be required to answer one question on the issues discussed in the second half of the module. End of trimester
Duration:
1 hr(s)
 Graded No

50

 No
Assignment(Including Essay): A 2000 word essay addressing issues raised in the first half of the module i.e. the institutional structure of international organisations. Week 8 Graded No

50

 No

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Students will be offered individualised feedback on the coursework assignment and generalised feedback will be offered to the class in a lecture. Students will also receive generalised feedback on overall student performance in the examination.

Name Role
Professor Joseph McMahon Lecturer / Co-Lecturer