Year 2011-12
International Public Law (21696)
Qualification: Degree in Political Sciences
Year: 3rd
Term: 1st
Number of ECTS credits: 4 credits
Hours of student dedication: 100 hours
Teaching language: Spanish
Teacher: Matilde Pérez Herranz
1. Introduction to the course
International Public law is an optional course within the international profile of the Degree in Political Sciences. It allows students to learn about and study a new legal system, the legal order of the international community which operates in a wider framework than domestic rights. This subject provides students with basic knowledge on the legal international framework that regulates international relations.
This subject seeks to analyse the main points of the social base which it regulates, the main legal institutions and their specialities which make up the international legal system and the contents of international legal norms. To be able to follow the course students must have a basic knowledge of international relations and the basic ability to read and understand legal texts.
2. Competences to be achieved
Generic competences
Instrumental
1. Ability to understand international issues
2. Ability to analyse and synthesize international topics
3. Ability to research international documentation and international references sources
Interpersonal
4. Oral and written communication
5. Critical capacity
6. Argumentative capacity
7. Team work capacity
Systemic
8. Understanding and analysis of international relations
9. Understanding of the basic features of the international community
10. Capacity of contextualise international facts in a determined legal framework.
11. Capacity to relate facts, norms and values to find solutions to concrete problems.
SPECIFIC COMPETENCES
1. Understanding the main features of the legal international order with respect to other legal orders.
2. Understanding of the international legal structure.
3. Understanding of the main international legal institutional order.
4. Capacity to understand the nature and type of the different members of the international community
5. Understanding the nature and typology of international organizations.
6. Understanding the territorial and personal competences of the States
7. Capacity to identify illegal international practises and the demand for State and individual international responsibility.
3. Contents
Unit 1. The international community and public international law
Introduction. Historical formation and evolution of the international community. Organization in the international community. The concept of public international law. The contents of public international law. Cassification of international obligations.
Unit 2. The sources of the international public law
Introduction. International treaties: a) Concept and types; b) The conclusion of treaties; c) The effects of treaties. International customs: a) Elements; b) The relationships with international treaties. The general principles of the right. International organizations resolutions.
Unit 3.The State in the international Law
Introduction. The State as a subject of international right. The recognition of States. The principle of sovereign equality. The non-intervention principle. State inmunity. State succession.
Unit 4. International organizations
Introduction. Concept and characters. The subjectivity of international organizations. Classification of international organizationas. United Nations: a) Legal Nature a la carte b) Proposals and principles c) Organic Structure.
Unit 5. State competences (I): State territory
Introduction. State powers and competences. State territory: a) Frontiers; b) Ways of acquiring territory; c) Delimitation and attribution of territory. International waters. Air space and air space navigation. Modifying territorial competences: military bases.
Unit 6. State competences (II): Maritime spaces
Introduction. Sea ownership. Archipelago waters. Ownership of surrounding waters. Continental shelf ownership. Exclusive economic zones. International waters.
Unit 7. International regimes for the protection of the international community's general intersts (I): International peace and security maintenance
Introduction. The principle of prohibition of the use of force. Legitimate defence, collective security: a) United Nations action in case of peace disturbances, peace ruptures and aggression; b) Peace building operations
Unit 8. International regimes for the protection of the international community´s general interests (II): international protection of Human Rights
Background. The United Nations Letter and the Universal Human Rights Declaration. International human rights agreements. Human rights protection in Europe. Human rights protection in American and African zones.
Unit 9. Peaceful resolution to international controversies
The principle of peaceful resolution to international controversies. Means of resolution. Diplomatic means.and international refereeing. International court of law.
Unit 10. International responsibility
Introduction. The responsibility of States in illegal international actions: a) Elements; b) Circumstances which exclude illegality; c) Invocation; d) Contents. International responsibility of the individual: a) Crimes against peace and human security; b) The International Court of Justice.
4. Assessment
Participation in seminars will account for 40% of the final mark. The remaining 60% will be computed from a final exam on the theoretical content of the subject.
Students can, if they wish, write a review and analysis of a book, article or study relavent ot one of the topics covered in the course. This essay can increase the seminar mark by up to two points. The essay should be between 5 and 10 DIN A4 pages. Plagiarism or copying will result in a fail for the seminars. The recommended titles from which students can chose to do this essay will be given at the beginning of the course.
5. Bibliography and other resources
Casanovas, O. i Rodrigo, A.J., Casos y textos de Derecho internacional público, 6ª ed., Madrid, Tecnos, 2010.
Díez de Velasco, M., Instituciones de Derecho Internacional Público, 17ª ed., Madrid, Tecnos, 2009.
Díez de Velasco, M., Las Organizaciones internacionales, 16ª ed., Madrid, Tecnos, 2009.
Fernández Tomás, A., Sánchez Legido, A. i Ortega Terol, J.A., Lecciones de Derecho internacional público, Valencia, Tirant lo Blanc, 2011.
Andrés Sáenz de Santa María, M.P., Sistema de Derecho Internacional Público, Madrid, Civitas/Thompson Reuters, 2011.
Remiro Brotons, A. et al., Derecho Internacional. Curso general, València, Tirant lo Blanc, 2010.
Some treaties and international texts of special importance have been privately translated into Catalan:
Carta de les Nacions Unides i Estatut de la Cort Internacional de Justícia, amb la Resolució 2625 (XXV) de l'Assemblea General de 24 d'octubre de 1970, Catalan version and introduction by Miquel A. Marín, Barcelona, Bosch, 1984.
Els drets humans: els textos bàsics, Carles Duarte i Montserrat, Joan Ramon Solé i Durany, Barcelona, Departament d'Ensenyament, Generalitat de Catalunya, 1988.
Conveni Europeu de Drets Humans. Carta Social Europea, Moià (Barcelona), Publicacions de l'Institut de Drets Humans de Catalunya, 1987.
Les Nacions Unides i els Drets Humans, Xavier Pons Ràfols (dir.), Barcelona, Associació per a les Nacions Unides a Espanya, 1997.
Les normes humanitàries coma factor de pau. Commemoració del Centenari de la Conferència de Pau de La Haia 1907-2007, Xavier Pons Ràfols (ed.), Barcelona, Associació per a les Nacions Unides a Espanya, 2007.
6. Methodology
The acquisition of the relevant competences will be achieved using the methodology and learning set by the European Higher Education Area. The aim of the lectures is to set out the concepts or basic ideas of the subject. They are designed to allow for critical thinking and they generally require students to carry out analytical reading before the lecture and help develop students' ability to synthesise and organise information. Seminars help develop the capacity to resolve problems, work in groups and in some cases, leadership skills. They also develop the ability to be autonomous, to associate knowledge and develop it in a creative way. Resolving cases with the help of the teacher allows for the development of other essential abilities such as writing skills (through commentary techniques, analysing monographs and essay writing) and ability to argue and present orally.
In both lectures and seminars the student will become aware of public international law as a regulatory system of social relations in the international community in which we can identify the interests, values and legal norms that regulate them. Tutorials, individual or in group, will allow the teacher to control and follow the learning process of the students allowing students to be able to identify their progress and weaknesses to be able to improve.
There will be 4 two hour long seminars on the following:
1. The sources of the international rights: treaties and customs
2. The subjects of international rights: States and International Organizations
3. State competences: maritime space and territory
4. International regimes for the protection of the international community's general interests: peace building and human rights protection
The key reference for the course is:
Casanovas, O. and Rodrigo, A.J., Casos y textos de Derecho internacional público, 6ª ed., Madrid, Tecnos, 2010.
There will be 3 compulsory activities (two written at home and one in class) and one voluntary (the reading and commentary of an article or monograph)
7. Programme of activities
|
Week |
Ses |
Type |
Session content |
Student work during the week |
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|
Learning activity |
Hrs of class |
Hrs not in class |
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|
In class |
Autonomous work |
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|
Iª |
1 |
T |
Explanation of the programme structure and the basic notions of the international community and public international law. |
Theoretical class: Unit 1 |
|
1 |
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
IIª |
2 |
T |
The sources of public international law |
Theoretical class: Unit 2 |
Preparation of topics |
2 |
6 |
|||
|
3 |
T |
The State as a subject of international law |
Theoretical class: Unit 3 |
1 |
||||||
|
IIIª |
4 |
T |
The basic notions of international organizations and the study of the United Nations. |
Theoretical class: Unit 4 |
Preparation of topic and seminar session. |
2 |
11 |
|||
|
5 |
S |
The functioning of seminars. Seminar session about the sources of international law: treaties and customs |
Seminar 11 |
2 |
||||||
|
IVª |
6 |
T |
Territorial competences of the State. |
Theoretical class: Unit 5 |
Preparation of topic and seminar session. |
2 |
11 |
|||
|
7 |
S |
Seminar about sources of international rights |
Seminar 12 |
2 |
||||||
|
Vª |
8 |
T |
Basic notions of maritime space. |
Theoretical class: Unit 6 |
Preparation of topic and seminar session. |
2 |
11 |
|||
|
9 |
S |
Seminar about subjects of international rights |
Seminar11 |
2 |
||||||
|
VIª |
10 |
T |
The international regime for international peace building and security. |
Theoretical class: Unit 7 |
Preparation of topic and seminar session. |
2 |
11 |
|||
|
11 |
S |
Seminar about subjects of international rights |
Seminar 12 |
2 |
||||||
|
VIIª |
|
|
|
|
Preparation of seminar session. |
|
8 |
|||
|
12 |
S |
Seminar session about state competences. |
Seminar 11
|
2 |
||||||
|
VIIIª |
13 |
T |
International regime for the protection of human rights. |
Theoretical class: Unit 8 |
Preparation of topic and seminar session. |
2 |
11 |
|||
|
14 |
S |
Seminar session about State Competences |
Seminari12 |
2 |
||||||
|
IXª |
15 |
T |
The basic notions of peaceful resolution to international controversies. |
Theoretical class: Unit 9 |
Preparation of topic and seminar session. |
2 |
11 |
|||
|
16 |
S |
Seminar session about the international regimes for the protection of the general interests of the international community |
Seminar 11 |
2 |
||||||
|
Xª |
17 |
T |
The basic notions on the international responsibility of States and individuals |
Theoretical class: Unit 10 |
Preparation of topic and seminar session. |
2 |
11 |
|||
|
18 |
S
|
Seminar session about the international regime for the protection of the international community's general intertests |
Seminar 12 |
2 |
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|
XIº |
19 |
T |
General revision |
|
|
2 |
|
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|
Hours dedicated: Subtotal |
36 |
64 |
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|
XIª XIIª |
Hours of dedication for the preparation of the final examination |
6 |
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|
TOTAL HOURS FOR THE SUBJECT |
100 |
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Ses: nº of session Type: type of session, T (theory), S (seminar);