International Law and International Relations - 2012 entry

Course content

In Semester 1, you complete three compulsory modules: International Law (20 credits), International Relations in Theory and Practice (20 credits) and Research Methods in International Relations and Law (20 credits). In Semester 2, MA/PG Dip students complete one more compulsory module: The Law and Politics of Transnational Organisations (20 Credits)

In addition, Semester 2, MA/PG Dip students choose one 20 credit optional module offered by the Law Department and one 20 credit optional module offered by the Department of International Relations, Politics and Sociology. The choice is made from the following options:

International Law introduces you to the international legal system and the general rules that govern the international community, set in the context of a rapidly globalising world. The module explores the philosophical underpinnings of international law, including the nature of the international legal system and the context within which it operates, and examines the sources of international law and the key doctrines and principles. Areas of particular importance in state practice are also examined, including human rights, the use of force and international humanitarian law, environmental protection and international economic law.

 International Relations in Theory and Practice provides an advanced investigation into theoretical approaches in the discipline of International Relations, as well as an overview of contemporary debates. It aims to establish a clear understanding of the role and purpose of theory, and its relation to substantive issues in international relations.

Research Methods in International Relations and Law offers an advanced understanding of interdisciplinary research in International Relations and International Law and provides the analytical skills and methodological knowledge to carry out such interdisciplinary research. This is achieved through a combination of knowledge-transfer and hands-on learning. The module starts from the idea of a multi-disciplinary classroom and uses your own specific disciplinary research skills and knowledge as the basis for developing an interdisciplinary perspective. The highly research-practice oriented module may be closely linked to your dissertation research.

In Semester 2, MA/PG Dip students complete one more interdisciplinary compulsory module on International (20 credits):

The Law and Politics of Transnational Organisations offers students an advanced interdisciplinary understanding of the principles and practices that inform transnational institutions. In particular, the module addresses the problems and prospects in the development of intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations. It provides students with the analytical skills and methodological knowledge to investigate new forms of global governance from an interdisciplinary perspective.  The module achieves this objective through a combination of lectures and seminars. The readings of selected in-depth articles on various themes provides the basis for the seminars.

In addition, Semester 2, MA/PG Dip students choose one 20 credit optional module offered by the Law School and one 20 credit optional module offered by the Department of Social Sciences. The choice is made from the following options:

Law

International Human Rights Law

This module examines the protection of human rights under international law. It considers the protection afforded under the United Nations system, the European system, focusing on the European Convention on Human Rights, the Inter-American system, and the African system. The major international instruments are critically assessed and the effectiveness of the protection provided is questioned. Special attention is given to a range of topics which are of current interest, including issues relating to globalisation, corporate liability for human rights violations and the protection of social and economic rights.

International Humanitarian Law

International humanitarian law is the branch of international law that deals with armed conflict. The focus of this module is the principles relating to the protection of civilians during armed conflict which derive principally from the 1949 Geneva Conventions. It examines the rationale behind this body of law, the function in this field of both governmental and non-governmental agencies and the enforcement of the international rules.

International Labour Law

This module focuses on the work of the International Labour Organisation (the ILO). It starts by considering the history and workings of the ILO and the various theoretical issues raised by the search for universal and international standards for labour rights.

The main part of the course is devoted to an examination of fundamental labour standards, as identified by the ILO itself, those being rights to freedom of association, the abolition of forced labour, non-discrimination and the reduction of child labour. The difficulties of enforcement of these standards are examined. Reference is also made to other international standards such as those of the UN 

International Criminal Law

This module focuses on the development of international criminal law following the establishment of the International Criminal Court. The remit of the court is examined as well as the specific crimes over which the ICC has jurisdiction, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Individual and command responsibility is considered including the question of immunity, particularly for heads of state and former heads of state as well as the issue of universal jurisdiction.

International Environmental Law

This module provides an in-depth understanding of issues relating to international environmental law and global policies. The module begins by examining the role of international law in dealing with environmental issues and the sources of international environmental law. Key environmental issues are examined, not just to understand the specific area of regulation but also to place it in the context of international law and policy and the wider challenges to globalised environmental protection. There is also an opportunity to examine the tensions between environmental law and policy and other value systems such as human rights and international trade.

International Refugees and Migrants

This module looks at the ways that nationality is conceived and realised in a post-colonial age of nation-states, in the light of the commitment in international law to nationality as a human right. It also considers how law deals with the movement of persons and peoples in terms of national identity and conferment of formal national membership, and how these issues affect current regional groupings and are affected by them. The issues will be examined with reference to the provisions of international law, the rules and practice of regions (e.g. Europe) and case studies of individual countries.

International Law on the Use of Force

This module provides an in-depth understanding of one of the most topical and controversial areas of international law: the law governing when force can be used by states in international society. At the heart of the subject is the prohibition of the use of force and the established exceptions of self-defence and collective security. However, the module also critically addresses the controversial exceptions of humanitarian intervention, pre-emptive self-defence and self-defence against terrorism and the relatively uncontroversial existence of peacekeeping operations. These topics are examined in light of the Charter of the United Nations and customary international law.

Social Sciences

International Security in the Global Era examines contemporary security issues through a critical investigation of news media coverage of the ‘international security environment’ and through various academic texts that are engaged in exploring changes in the nature of war, military culture, and security itself as a practice and academic discipline. The aim is to provide students of different academic backgrounds with a rich introduction to some of the major debates in the field and the ability to apply key concepts and academic forms of analyses to critically engage with and evaluate current events.

Global Governance, Civil Society and Social Movements investigates the institutions of global governance and the dynamics of civil society, understood as the space for interaction between institutions and non-state actors. It looks at the existing architecture of global governance and the competing theories and approaches to analysing these phenomena. It also asks questions about the accountability and legitimacy of the institutions and processes of global governance and evaluates the potential for improving global governance. Linked to this, the module will critically evaluate the role of civil society as a democratising force in global governance.

International Development - Since the end of the Cold War one of the key dynamics in world politics, namely the gap between rich and poor, has come into sharper focus. This module examines both the theory and practice of the international politics of development. The first half of the module looks at key theoretical debates and how these have related to practice. Various contemporary issues in development are then explored to illustrate the theoretical debates. These will include the Third World Debt Crisis, fair trade, development assistance, sustainable development and the resource curse thesis.

International Relations of East Asia introduces and analyzes key aspects of international relations of the East Asia region, such as war and conflict, economic cooperation and competition, and patterns of intra-regional interaction. East Asia is defined as a region, encompassing Japan, the Russian Far East, Korea, China, Southeast Asia, and Taiwan. Given its extensive involvement in the region since the mid-nineteenth century, the role of the United States is also examined as a major outside power. As most IR theories are exclusively built upon Western diplomatic history, the module will critically apply some major IR theories to the experience of East Asia, by addressing the validity of existing theories for the analysis of East Asian international relations. It also considers the possible contribution the analysis of East Asia may make to the theoretical literatures the study of international relations.

Global Theory: From Kant to Hardt and Negri examines the conceptions of the world, its history and relations that inform the theories of Kant, Hegel, and Marx and relates these global theories to contemporary notions of globalisation maintained by contemporary theorists such as Held and Hardt and Negri. The past is brought to bear upon the present to appraise the distinctness of contemporary theory and relevance of the past to the present.

Citizenship in Theory and Practice looks at the status of citizenship in the contemporary world. Traditionally, citizenship has spoken to the relationship between the state and its individual members. However, many social, political and economic changes have brought into question the nature of this relationship in contemporary world politics, and the possibility of the emergence of post-national forms of citizenship is raised. The module will look at the theoretical approaches to citizenship and will then go on to use them to assess contemporary social, political and economic developments. These are likely to include changes in patterns of political participation, restructuring of welfare states, questions of identity, particularly involving migration, and economic changes, including globalisation and the role of the European Union.

Gender in a Global Context focuses on how processes of global social change affect gender relations locally, nationally and internationally. It will examine the various ways in which social scientists have made sense of gender and gender inequalities, including current theory and research on men and masculinities. The changing relationships between states, markets and households will be a key theme of this module.

Global Politics and the Environment critically investigates the way in which the tensions brought about by the global environmental crisis have been addressed globally, looking at institutional, conceptual, ideological, socio-cultural and political economic facets.

International Energy Politics examines the complex and inter-linked relationship between energy and politics and its role in the international sphere. Students will have the opportunity to critically examine the relationship between energy and regime type, conflict, foreign policy and security. Focusing mostly on the international politics of oil and gas, the module will address these themes associated with the energy-politics nexus through an engagement with a range of theoretical perspectives and literature related to international relations, foreign policy analysis, political economy and security studies and will do so through a close reading of a number of cases studies including: Russia, Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus, the United States, China, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Violence and Post-War Reconstruction investigates the occurrence of violence during processes of post-war reconstruction (or ‘peacebuilding’). It asks why violence continues despite the ceasefire, how it affects peace processes and reconstruction, and what are the implications for its management? The first part of the module achieves a conceptualisation of violence, peace and reconstruction. Practices of Security Sector Reform (SSR) and Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) are examined as examples of how the need to manage violence is central to post-war reconstruction endeavours. The second phase of the module then examines the sources and manifestations of violence by analysing the actors, their motives, contexts and the structures within which they operate. Examples will be taken from recent and contemporary reconstruction processes, such as South Africa; Northern Ireland, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Liberia, Rwanda and Palestine. In the end, students should be able to critically analyse the causes, contexts and impact of violence at the time of post-war reconstruction and be able to make recommendations for its management.

Independent study allows you to undertake a programme of study of your own choosing that is agreed with a member of staff.

*Note that the availability of these modules may vary from year to year.

Dissertation

MA students are required to complete a 15,000-word dissertation on a topic related to any aspect of international relations or law. This is an extended and supervised piece of work on an appropriate field-based or documentary-based topic, chosen in consultation with course tutors. You are encouraged to choose a topic that relates to your professional, voluntary, political, or research interests.

Students are asked to work on their initial proposal during Semester 2. The main work on the dissertation will normally take place from June to early September. The dissertation also involves a presentation at the annual Postgraduate Day which is held every summer. This event brings together a guest speaker from outside the university, research students and all postgraduate students on the international studies courses.

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department

Department of Social Sciences / School of Law

Course length

Full-time: MA: 12 months PG Dip: 8 months PG Cert: 4 months
Part-time: MA: 24 months PG Dip: 20 months PG Cert: 16 months

Teaching location

Headington Campus, Gipsy Lane

Start date

September 2012
2013

UKPASS code

P044363

Entry requirements

Students are normally required to have at least a second-class honours degree from a university in the UK or an equivalent qualification from countries outside the UK. The degree should be in an appropriate discipline.

Scholarships and funding

For general sources of financial support, see:

• funding for students from the UK and EU
• funding for students from outside the EU

Why Oxford is a great place to study International Law and International Relations

Oxford has much to offer scholars of law and international studies and as one of the world's great academic cities, it is a key centre of debate, with conferences, seminars and forums taking place across a range of relevant topics within the university and within the city of Oxford. In addition to our own excellent libraries and resource centres, postgraduate International Studies students have access to Oxford's Bodleian Library along with the unparalleled legal holdings at the Bodleian Law Library. Since Oxfam was founded in the city in the 1940s, Oxford has attracted a diverse range of voluntary organisations and now has one of the highest concentrations of non-governmental organisations outside London, making it the perfect place to begin a career in the third sector.

Support for students studying International Law and International Relations

Our Student Support Coordinators can give advice on the course, finance, accommodation or personal issues which may be affecting your study and will also regularly update you with information on visiting speakers, careers advice and course announcements. They can also help you to access other support services in the university such as ‘Upgrade’, which offers confidential advice on study skills, and English language support through the international centre.

How Brookes supports postgraduate students

Supporting your learning

From academic advisers and support co-ordinators to specialist subject librarians and other learning support staff, we want to ensure that you get the best out of your studies.

Personal support services

We want your time at Brookes to be as enjoyable and successful as possible. That's why we provide all the facilities you need to be relaxed, happy and healthy throughout your studies.

Departmental research highlights

Staff involved in teaching on the programme have in recent years been awarded a number of ESRC grants. Interdepartmental highlights include:

Prof. Math Noortmann chairs the International Law Associations Committee on Non-State Actors in International Law and secured a grants for research seminars on non-state actors and human security and non-state actors as law-makers.

Dr Michael Lister’s project entitled 'Anti-Terrorism, Citizenship and Security in the UK', examines to what extent citizens of the United Kingdom feel that their security has been enhanced (or even diminished) by contemporary anti-terrorism measures. 

Dr Rico Isaacs is conducting research funding by the British Academy into the effectiveness of Election Observation Missions (EOMs) in ensuring freer and fairer elections in the former Soviet Union. EOMs have been central to the Organisation for Cooperation and Security in Europe’s (OSCE) strategy to promote democracy in former Soviet states and his research will engage not just existing scholarship on democracy promotion, but will also inform policy towards democratic assistance in the region by ensuring it is more responsive to the interests and needs of recipient states.

Dr Zeray Yihdego, was nominated by the Vienna-based United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to serve as a member of an expert group on the UN Firearms Protocol 2001. The group supplements the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and will consider draft model legislation.

Professor Lucy Vickers’ research into the legal obligations of employers to protect employees from harassment and religious discrimination has led to commissions from the Institute of Employment Rights and the European Commission. Her most recent work Promoting Equality or Fostering Resentment? The Public Sector Equality Duty and Religion and Belief will be published later this year.

Sonia Morano-Foadi, recently interviewed and quoted in The Economist, secured £12,000 from the European Science Foundation to fund exploratory work into the effects of EU directives on migration and asylum.

Commissioned by UNHCR to report on asylum seekers and refugees in Japan and expert in Japanese civil liberties and human rights, Head of Law, Professor Meryll Dean has been made a member of the Advisory Board of the Australian Network for Japanese Law (ANJeL).

Research excellence

The programme is taught by a truly international team of leading scholars from across the globe. Our vibrant research culture is driven by a thriving and collaborative community of academic staff and doctoral students.

In the most recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE)

• 85% of research activity in law was judged to be international and 10% of this ‘world leading’ in terms of originality, significance and rigour. 
• 75% of research activity in Politics and International Relations was judged to be international in terms of originality, significance and rigour. 

Our strong performances in the RAE, along with our expanding consultancy activities, have enabled us to attract high quality staff and students and helped to generate funding for research projects from bodies such as the ESRC, the British Academy and the European Union.

Consultancy:

Dr Michael Lister has given briefings as part of his project on public attitudes to counter-terrorism policy in the UK to policy-makers at both the Home Office and the Welsh Assembly.

Professor Tina Miller has been commissioned to do work on improving maternal and newborn health by the World Health Organisation, which is a key focus within the millennium development goals.

Research areas and clusters

The research of specialist international relations staff contributing to the programme is organised within three dedicated research groups.

• Critical International Studies
• European Politics and Society
• Social and Political Change.

As well as meeting to discuss and analyse central texts in the field each group undertakes a number of activities including:

• Organising work-in-progress seminars
• Offering support and feedback for external grant applications
• Hosting visiting fellows
• Sponsoring seminars and symposia.

In addition, our Centre for Legal Research and Policy provides a focus for research and a bank of expertise for the application of the law in policy-related areas. It fosters relationships with outside agencies and other academic institutions as well as facilitating debate and promoting interdisciplinary research within the university. It is a forum for all law staff and students at Oxford Brookes who are engaged in research activities and comprises the following research groups:

• Applied Study of Law and Religion
• Criminal Justice
• Critical Approaches to Law
• Human Rights
• Migration Research
• Public International Law.

Find out more by browsing our staff profiles at www.law.brookes.ac.uk and www.social-sciences.brookes.ac.uk.