Unit Catalogue

This is an introductory survey unit in public international law.

Historically, public international law was the law of nations: the body of law governing the relationships between sovereign States. Public international law is no longer so narrowly circumscribed. Defined broadly, international law now includes as expansive a range of subject matters as does 'municipal' (i.e., domestic) law.

Topics to be covered in this unit include:

• the origins and nature of the international legal system;
• the formation, sources and application of international law;
• the law of treaties;
• international legal personality;
• the institutional framework of international law;
• the relationship between international law and domestic law;
• the relationship between states and territory;
• state responsibility;
• substantive international legal obligations regarding the law of the sea, human rights, the use of force by states, international environmental law and international criminal law.