LLM in International Law - 2012 entry

Course content

Students studying for the LLM/PG Dip in International Law are required to complete the double compulsory module in International Law (40 credits) and the single compulsory module in Advanced Legal Research Methods (20 credits) during the first semester.

International Law

The principal aim of the compulsory module in international law is to introduce students 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 introduces 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.

Advanced Legal Research Methods

This module, which is compulsory for all LLM students, provides an opportunity for students to develop core skills in legal research. Expert guidance is provided in locating and using international law sources especially electronic sources. Particular attention is also paid to analysis of legal texts, reasoning skills, presenting research, both orally and in writing and appropriate referencing. The Oxford Brookes Library has an expanding collection of international law materials and provides access to a wide range of online databases.

In Semester 2 you can choose any three of the following options (20 credits each, totalling 60 master's-level credits)*:

International Trade Law

This module provides an overview of the legal systems governing international trade. International Trade Law has two dimensions: one governs the commercial relationship between traders, including the laws of sale of goods, transportation and finance of trade, which is of a ‘private law’ nature; the other deals with the regulatory relationship between government agencies and traders, including the laws of tariffs and duties, antidumping, subsidies and countervailing measures, which are ‘public law’ by nature. The module covers both the transactional and the regulatory elements, with particular emphasis placed on current issues such as Incoterms, UCP and e-commerce.

International Investment Law

This module provides students with the opportunity to examine the laws, policies and legal issues affecting foreign investment and foreign enterprises, with special emphasis on the developing world and emerging markets. The rules, principles and institutions of public international law that affect direct foreign investment are explored, followed by an examination of host country laws that both encourage and regulate foreign investment. The political risks for foreign investment and the legal protection mechanisms necessary to eliminate or reduce such risks are considered, including investment insurance mechanisms and bilateral investment treaty (BIT) programmes as well as the dispute settlement regime for international investment 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 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 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 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 (eg Europe) and case studies of individual countries.

European Union Law

This module provides an introduction to the constitutional and administrative law of the European Union. It begins with an examination of the political development and legal nature of the European Union and the operation of its institutions. Discussion then focuses on the nature of Community Law, its relationship with national law and the role of the European Court of Justice. Finally, the administrative law of the European Union is critically examined.

World Trade Regulation

This module focuses on the regulative law and legal framework of sales of goods as provided for by WTO law. The module explains the WTO law on the sale of goods, the so-called GATT 1994. Students will be introduced to the core norms and principles of GATT 1994 law including the most favoured nation principle and the principle of national treatment, and the latest jurisprudence of the panels and Appellate Body. In addition, the lawful exemptions to free trade in goods will be considered as well as the two additional new instruments for certain exemptions from GATT rules, the SPS and the TBT agreements.

International Commercial Arbitration

This module introduces students to international commercial law and arbitration, including arbitral agreements, applicable law, the enforcement of arbitral awards and arbitrations involving State parties. The course also addresses the international regulation of the conduct of foreign investment and critically examines the role international commercial law and arbitration plays in the process of economic globalisation.

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 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 and the EU.

International Intellectual Property Law

This module aims to explore how, with the rise of information and technology as key global assets, intellectual property laws have been fashioned and constantly transformed to identify, regulate, manage and protect those assets. It examines the process of harmonisation of intellectual property across the world in the context of the international trade regime, the proliferation of overlapping, and often contradictory claims among the diversity of stakeholders as well as policy issues located in ethics, culture and human rights.

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.

International Corporate Governance

This module aims to introduce students to the principles of corporate governance that influence the management of modern companies worldwide. In particular, it focuses on corporate regulation in the wake of the recent scandals in the USA and in Europe. The existing corporate governance models will be examined and the future of corporate governance will be also considered. Other areas covered include investors’ protection, shareholders’ rights and board architecture. Theories of regulatory competition and harmonisation of law will be also explored along with related issues of corporate social responsibility.

Regulatory Theory in Cyberspace

This module considers legal and policy issues that have evolved with the rise of cyberspace; examines current and prospective normative principles and rules for its governance by all stakeholders; and considers future developments in regulatory issues emanating from the divergence of international factors in play. The module will focus on defining the legal and technological issues which make cyberspace a unique zone of discourse for the study of international / transnational regulation and the methods of control which can potentially be adopted.

Students who complete at least 60 credits over the taught elements of the course are eligible for the award of the Postgraduate Certificate in International Law.

Dissertation

Your LLM dissertation is an extended and supervised piece of work on a particular aspect of international law chosen in consultation with your course tutors. It is an opportunity to gain knowledge through systematic academic enquiry and for you to demonstrate your ability to explore and present legal arguments. The style of research may range from empirical investigation to textual analysis. You will develop transferable skills in research and information and project management. You will be encouraged to choose an international law topic of personal interest or one related to your occupation. Full-time students will normally begin preliminary work on the dissertation in Semester 1 and formalise the topic and structure of the dissertation in Semester 2. The main work on the dissertation will normally take place from June to mid-August.

*Note that availability of options may vary from year to year.

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department

School of Law

Course length

Full-time: LLM: 12 months, PGDip: 9 months, PGCert: 9 months
Part-time: LLM: 24 months, PGDip: 18 months, PGCert: 18 months

Teaching location

Headington Campus, Gipsy Lane

Start date

September 2012

UKPASS code

P018013

Entry requirements

Students will normally be required to have (or to be expecting) a first or upper second class honours degree, or an equivalent degree awarded by a university outside the United Kingdom. The degree may be in law or in a related discipline. We welcome applications from both law and non-law graduates.

Students new to the academic study of law will be advised to read a number of recommended texts by way of induction before they begin the course. Students are also encouraged to attend the induction sessions provided in the week prior to the beginning of the course.

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 LLM in International Law

Oxford has much to offer lawyers 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 international law topics within the university, the city of Oxford and in nearby London. In addition to our own excellent libraries and resource centres, LLM students have access to the unparalleled legal holdings at the Bodleian Law Library.

Support for students studying LLM in International Law

The LLM has a dedicated Student Support Co‐ordinator who 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. She 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

LLM lecturer, 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 Peter Edge’s research brought together a host of eminent legal scholars from Britain and the Islamic world at our recent conference exploring the interaction between Shariah and other transnational legal systems. The conference debated Eurocentric and Shariah approaches to legal globalisation, the global financial crisis and the obligations and rights of Muslim minorities.

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.

More than 40 international lawyers from the UK and other countries came to Oxford Brookes for last year’s annual conference of the International Law Association organised by Dr Dawn Sedman. Stimulating sessions included The role of the judiciary; Business and human rights; Justice, ICC and the Security Council and Monitoring rights’ compliance.

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

In the most recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 85% of our work was judged to be of international quality, with 10% judged to be 'world leading' in terms of originality, significance and rigour.

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.

Research areas and clusters

Research degrees can be undertaken in the following areas:

• Access to justice
• Accountability
• Company law
• Comparative constitutions
• Criminal justice
• Family law
• Human rights
• Information law
• International economic law
• International law and policy
• International trade and commercial law
• International and European environmental law
• Intellectual property law
• Law and religion

• Migration
• Workplace rights and employment law
• WTO law.