International Law

Human rights have been defined as a concern of the international community since the post-Second World War period, when the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms and the prohibition of discrimination were included among the objectives of the newly established United Nations. They have significantly expanded their reach since: they now influence various branches of domestic law, including family law, employment law, corporate law, or criminal law. They also have influenced the shaping of international relations, in areas such as development cooperation, foreign debt, the global fight against terrorism, or the quest for sustainable development.

Governments remain the main actors in the development of human rights. Civil society (non-governmental organisations) and social movements, however, increasingly contribute to shaping their contours, and human rights are now evolving as a result of the constant dialogue between international human rights bodies and domestic courts, in a search that crosses geographical, cultural and legal boundaries. This course will explore how human rights evolve and how they can be enforced and progressively realized. It will examine the sources of human rights, including both civil and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights. It will address the specific regime of human rights law as part of general international law. It will relate the rights of individuals to the duties of States (to respect, protect and fulfil human rights). And it will assess the effectiveness of the mechanisms of protection of human rights, at both domestic and regional or international levels.

The course relies extensively on comparative material from different jurisdictions, to study a wide range of topics including, for instance, religious freedom in multicultural societies, human rights in employment relationships, economic and social rights in development, the human rights responsibilities of corporations, or human rights in the context of the fight against terrorism.

International law can be considered as the law of the international community, the law that governs relations between States. But it also relates to what international organizations do and, increasingly, it concerns individuals, corporations, NGO's and other non-state actors.

As the world becomes more interdependent and more complex, and as new institutions are put in place to make international law more effective, international law has become an exciting, expanding field. Never before has it been so relied upon, used and developed. Despite their differences in size, power, culture, religion and ideologies, states rely on international law to cooperate and to coexist; they speak the language of international law and international law serves them as an important common language.

This law course will extensively rely on judgments and advisory opinions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations (UN).

Having acquired a basic knowledge of international law, you'll find it easier to comprehend this subject in future international law sub-fields, like international human rights, international humanitarian law or international investment law.

This course will teach you what international law is, the role it plays in the world today, how it can be used. You will also gain knowledge to help you better discern legal arguments within the flow of international news and reports.

This course is part of the International Law MicroMasters Program that is designed to give learners a critical understanding of how international relations between States and individuals are dealt with, regarding the law.

Armed conflicts have always existed around the world. Unfortunately, recent events have shown that this phenomenon is becoming increasingly complex, especially with respect to some legal issues, such as:

- The definition of combatants and the protection of detainees when terrorists are involved in the hostilities.
- The detention by rebels of State armed forces.
- The involvement and status of UN peacekeepers in armed conflicts.

This course will help you understand these complex legal issues by teaching you the law of armed conflict , a branch of public international law also known as ‘International Humanitarian Law’ (‘IHL’).We will address these issues in light of recent practice, including counter-terrorism, such as the fight against non-state actors like ISIS and Al-Qaeda in different regions of the world, as well as other recent and older conflicts, such as those in Armenia, Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, and the Israeli-Palestinian one.

The course will provide essential theoretical and practical knowledge for students, researchers and academics who wish to specialize in International Humanitarian Law as well as professionals, including members of NGOs, involved in armed conflict situations, or even members of armed forces.

In this course, you can choose between an audit (free) track and a verified track ($199 fee).

The audit track

• Proposes a general approach to International Humanitarian Law (it’s a master level law course so learners with poor knowledge on this subject may have to work harder to understand the materials).
• Assesses your mastery of the relevant concepts through multiple choice questions that avoid complex and controversial issues.
• Implies a workload of about 4-7 hours/chapter

The verified track

• Offers a deeper and more complex learning experience: detailed considerations and developments on controversial issues, additional videos and readings.
• Assesses your mastery of complex and controversial issues through more complex MCQ, case studies and peer review assignments.
• Offers a staff graded final exam.
• Implies a workload of about 8-12 hours/chapter.
• Delivers a verified certificate (in case of passing final grade) and allows you to pursue the International Law MicroMasters credentials.

Are you aware of the controversial investor-State disputes and arbitral awards in which the public interest has been at stake, for instance, the protection of human rights and the environment? Do you recall recent cases such as Philip Morris v Uruguay and Vattenfall v Germany?

In the aftermath of these high profile cases and in the context of the negotiation of new international investment treaties, like the CETA and the TPP, local populations, policy-makers and NGOs have come to realize the societal importance of international investment law and arbitration. Passionate and sometimes ill-informed discussions have resulted from this realization. They have focused on the features of international investment law, which has traditionally granted rights to foreign investors notably to foster States’ economic development. Central to these discussions are the issues of:

• the balance between the protection of foreign investments/investors and the right of host States to regulate in order to protect public interest objectives;
• the regulation of foreign investments, i.e., the duties and obligations of foreign investors;
• the promotion of sustainable development in international investment law;
• the legitimacy of arbitration tribunals to decide on disputes between host States and foreign investors;
• the coherence of arbitration practice.

Learning and understanding the features and dynamics of international investment law and arbitration is key not only for international lawyers and policy-makers, but it is also important knowledge for all well-informed citizens.

In this law course, you will:

• discover the history of international investment law and arbitration as well as understand the dynamics which shape its evolution;
• learn the objectives of international investment law and the specific rights international investment agreements (bilateral investment treaties and free trade agreements’ investment chapters) grant to foreign investors, for instance the fair and equitable treatment and the prohibition of illegal expropriation;
• discover how those rights have been interpreted in investment treaty arbitration;
• master the features and functions of investor-state arbitration;
• understand why international investment law and investor-state arbitration are currently the subject of criticism and be able to assess the soundness of this criticism;
• gain insight into the content of the treaties newly concluded, and be able to assess how they address the issues of the right of host States to regulate, of foreign investors’ obligations and of the legitimacy of arbitration tribunals.