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Unit of study_
LAWS5005: Public International Law
2025 unit information
The compulsory unit of study is an introduction to 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) international legal personality, including how states are created, (6) how states acquire territory, (7) the extent of state jurisdiction, (8) immunities from state jurisdiction including diplomatic privileges and immunities (9) state responsibility, including diplomatic protection, (10) regulation of the use of force in international relations, and (11) dispute settlement.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Sydney Law School
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Law |
| Credit points | 6 |
|
Prerequisites:
?
|
LAWS5000 or LAWS5019 |
|---|---|
|
Corequisites:
?
|
None |
| Prohibitions:
?
|
LAWS1023 or LAWS1018 |
| Assumed knowledge:
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|
None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Demonstrate a sound understanding of the sources of public international law, including the law of treaties, and the relationship between them.
- LO2. Identify and critically analyse the sources of public international law, including the law of treaties, and their relationship.
- LO3. Apply rules and principles of public international law in innovative ways to analyse complex factual scenarios.
- LO4. Evaluate and describe to an advanced level the strengths and limitations of public international law as a legal system.
- LO5. Synthesise principles and apply rules and to analyse issues related to international legal personality, statehood, and self-determination.
- LO6. Synthesise principles and apply rules to analyse territorial disputes and the acquisition of title to territory.
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 2 2025
|
Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
|
|
Semester 2 2025
|
Normal evening | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
|
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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.
