• Research essay (50%): A 4000-word research essay which is designed to allow for a detailed and critical analysis of the chosen topic.  The assessment task will further the objectives of the unit by developing a student’s ability to conduct research in an area of international law and develop a coherent argument or set of arguments that are written clearly and persuasively in a balanced and scholarly manner. A choice of topics will be released to students on Canvas  prior to or on 4 August 2022  and the assessment is due on 17 October 2022 at 16:00 (Sydney, Australia time). Students will be required to submit regular drafts of their research essay to Canvas and should retain pre-submission drafts on file. The closing date is 14 November 2022. Students who receive a grant of Special Consideration may receive an extension or alternative task at the discretion of the Unit Coordinator.
• Research essay outline (non-graded): A non-assessable, rough outline of the essay must be submitted by 3 October; also, drafts of the essay must be submitted once you reach around 1500 words and again at around 3000 words. If one or more of the outline, drafts or final essay are written in another language and translated into English before submission, you must also submit the version of each document in the original language. The essay will not be marked if these requirements are not satisfied. 
• Final exam (Take-home extended release) (40%): Compulsory 48 hour release take-home examination during the examination period. Maximum 3000 words length. The examination will comprise one or more essay questions. Extensive independent research will not be necessary; students will be expected to have read the prescribed materials and the essay will be on a topic or topics that enable them to reflect on the course content. Students will be required to submit a draft during the final extended release exam and should retain pre-submission drafts on file. The outcome of a successful Special Consideration application is a replacement examination. The outcome of a successful Special Consideration application for a replacement examination is a second replacement examination or a viva voce, at the discretion of the Unit Coordinator. 
• Class participation (10%): This unit is designed to encourage students to think about international law, rather than just learn it (they are assumed to have done that already).  It is taken more slowly than some content-driven units, to allow for discussion and reflection. Students will be placed “on call” for one or two classes, at the Unit Coordinator’s discretion.  These will be allocated in Week 2.  When “on call”, students must be ready to answer questions from the Unit Coordinator and other students, and demonstrate that they have read the required material and reflected on the issues raised.  At the end of the semester, students will be asked to evaluate, in writing, their contribution to class discussions, indicating what mark they feel they deserve for class participation, and to provide reasons why such a mark is justified.  Students who are unable to make their allocated class will receive 0/10 for the assessment and may receive an Absent Fail grade. 
• Oral interview (non-graded): At the discretion of the Unit Coordinator, this will be an individual interview to discuss the content of the written work. 

Assessment requirement to pass a unit of study

A student must make a genuine attempt at all assessment tasks set out in this Unit of Study in order to obtain a Pass mark and grade (or above); otherwise an Absent Fail grade will be recorded as the student’s result for this Unit of Study.