Module Directory

This module introduces students to the ways in which law responds to major global problems, such as climate change, armed conflict, human rights’ violations, public health, and environmental harm. Through the study of international law, students understand how legal rules, institutions, and decision-making processes operate beyond the domestic legal system. Students will explore the different forms of international law, the legal obligations it creates for states, the difficulties with compliance, as well as the interaction between international law, politics, power, and ethics.

The module is not designed as a technical introduction to specific areas of international law. Instead, international law is used as a framework within which students develop the skills needed to progress to their first year of undergraduate law studies. Students will develop the skills needed to identify legal issues, distinguish legal arguments from political and moral claims, evaluate competing perspectives, and construct evidence-based arguments. The module prepares students for their undergraduate law studies by developing core academic and legal skills, including critical thinking, structured argumentation, and oral and written communication skills.

The aims of this module are:

• To help students understand how law responds to global challenges that cross national borders, and how international responses connect to domestic legal systems.


• To develop students’ critical thinking skills by encouraging them to assess the strengths, limits, and consequences of legal responses to global issues.


• To help students distinguish legal arguments from political and moral arguments and how these different forms of argumentation influence legal research and written communication.


• To encourage students to be confident in expressing their thoughts, ideas, and arguments when discussing about complex legal issues in a group context.

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:

1. Explain, at an introductory level, what international law is, who it applies to, how it is made, and how it differs from domestic law.


2. Describe the roles of States, international organisations, courts, and other stakeholders, in shaping or applying international law in selected areas.


3. Demonstrate skills in constructing reasoned arguments supported by appropriate examples, evidence, and explanation.


4. Demonstrate skills in identifying and critically assessing appropriate academic resources and evaluating the validity of conclusions relating to the effectiveness of law to deal with selected global problems.


5. Communicate ideas, information, and arguments with clarity and rigor.

Transferable Skills

• Critical thinking skills: assessing complex legal problems from different legal, political, and ethical perspectives


• Structured argumentation: developing clear, logical, and evidence-based arguments in writing and in discussions


• Source evaluation: identifying reliable information and distinguishing between different types of sources


• Communication skills: explain complex ideas and concepts clearly

Complimentary learning or prior knowledge

No prior knowledge is required to follow this module. The module was designed for students in their foundation year of study.

Syllabus information

The module consists of two parts:

In Part I, which will take place in the Autumn Term, the lectures and corresponding tutorials will be focused on the overall theme of international law and how it is used to address global problems.

In Part II, which will take place in the Spring Term, students will explore specific case studies drawn from international law in areas such as human rights, criminal law, environmental law.

This module will be delivered via:

• One 2-hour seminar per week
• One 2-hour lecture per week

Students are expected to undertake the reading before classes and be prepared to engage in discussion.