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Unit of study_

LAWS1023: Public International Law

2025 unit information

The compulsory unit of study is an introduction to the general problems, sources and techniques of public international law. The unit surveys the fundamental rules and principles of public international law through an examination of the following topics (1) the nature, function and scope of public international law, (2) the sources of public international law, (3) the law of treaties including principles of treaty interpretation, (4) the relationship between public international law and municipal law, (5) the extent of civil and criminal state jurisdiction, (6) immunities from state jurisdiction including diplomatic privileges and immunities (7) state responsibility, including diplomatic protection, nationality of claims and exhaustion of local remedies, (8) regulation of the use of force in international relations, and (9) dispute settlement.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Sydney Law School

Study level Undergraduate
Academic unit Law
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
? 
LAWS1006 or LAWS1025
Corequisites:
? 
None
Prohibitions:
? 
LAWS5005
Assumed knowledge:
? 
None

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Identify and describe to an advanced level the sources of public international law, including the law of treaties, and the relationship between them.
  • LO2. Evaluate the relationship between public international law and Australian domestic law.
  • LO3. Locate, analyse and address the key rules and principles that underpin public international law.
  • LO4. Apply fundamental rules and principles of public international law in innovative ways to analyse complex real-world factual scenarios.
  • LO5. Evaluate rules and principles of public international law in light of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Peoples’ and other First Peoples’ experiences and perspectives, including with respect to the process and effects of colonisation.
  • LO6. Critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of public international law as a legal system.
  • LO7. Convey your knowledge, understanding, analysis, and evaluation of public international law clearly and logically, both orally and in writing, using plain and concise language.

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2025
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2020
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2021
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2021
Normal day Remote
Semester 1 2022
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2022
Normal day Remote
Intensive January - February 2022
Normal day Remote
Intensive November - December 2022
Block mode Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2023
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2024
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

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Modes of attendance (MoA)

This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.