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Academic Year 2005/2006

International Law
GOVT 331 FA

Since the end of the Cold War, international law has played a greater and greater role in how we think about international relations and the ¿rule of law¿ in global affairs. Yet, expectations for a new international order have not always been met by real behavior on behalf of states and nonstate actors. Nevertheless, international legal agreements have proliferated even though norms and rules are not always observed or clearly understood. This course will examine the interaction of law and politics at the international level and how each influences the other. We will cover the sources of international law, participants, courts, dispute settlement, jurisdiction, and customary law.
We expect law to provide predictability and structure for daily international activities so the international system, however complex, can operate effectively. International organizations like the United Nation are central to the creation of international law and form the nexus where new international organizations like the World Trade Organization and the International Criminal Court are allowed to take shape. These new organizations in turn establish norms, policies, and rules which become part of the international legal world. Enforcement, however, at the international level is significantly different than that which is available to states through police, courts, and penal systems, all lacking in the global environment. International law depends on consent and horizontal pressure applied by other parties to an agreement to extract compliance by violators. Today it is impossible to completely grasp international politics without an understanding of international law. This course is offered in order to bridge that gap.

MAJOR READINGS

Charlotte Ku and Paul Diehl, eds., Second Edition, INTERNATIONAL LAW: CLASSIC AND CONTEMPORARY READINGS, Lynne Rienner Publishers, Boulder, Colo: 2003.
Course supplement.
Krasno, THE FOUNDING OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Sills, THE ROLE OF THE UNITED NATIONS IN FORMING GLOBAL NOMRS
Ku and Weiss, TOWARD UNDERSTANDING GLOBAL GOVERNANCE: THE INTERNATIONAL LAW AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS TOOLBOX
Ku, GLOBAL GOVERNANCE AND THE CHANGING FACE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
Selected treaties.

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Students are required to complete the weekly reading assignments and turn in each week a one-to-two-page written reflection on all the assigned readings, which will include:1) a composite summary of the readings and 2) an analysis section. An 18-20 page research paper will be due at the end of the semester on the last day of class. Class attendance and active participation in class discussion are expected.

COURSE FORMAT: Seminar

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS GOVT    Grading Mode: Graded   

Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-30-2006

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