Public International Law Advocacy

Course Catalog Number:
5040
Course Credits:
1
Course Type:
Lecture
Course Priority:
General Enrollment Course
Graduation Requirements:
Professional Skills
Full Year Course:
No

Course Description

This course provides intensive advocacy-skills training in the field of public international law (PIL). While one goal is to prepare students for PIL moot courts (e.g. Jessup, Niagara), the course is open to any student interested in developing proficiency in written and oral argumentation relating to PIL and inter-state disputes. The course augments, but does not substitute for, the full course on PIL. Substantive law will be analyzed and discussed to enable students to conduct independent research in PIL, distill the gathered material into persuasive arguments, and present those arguments adequately in written and oral form. The course focuses on the International Court of Justice (ICJ), its jurisprudence, and arguments submitted to it by state parties. Class work will focus on the study of landmark ICJ decisions, the analysis of the arguments employed, and the practice of transferring them to hypothetical disputes.