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Stetson
University College of Law |
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Stetson
University College of Law |
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Course Overview and Initial Syllabus |
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INDEX
This course provides an introduction to the system of norms, rules, institutions and procedures that regulates interaction among states, and between states and individuals. Three fundamental areas will be explored (1) the source and nature of international legal rules, (2) the associated international legal processes, and (3) the relationship of these international rules and processes to individuals, organizations, and states. An understanding of the basic principles of what is generally (but imprecisely) referred to as Public International Law is fundamental for all who deal internationally, whether directly participating in intergovernmental matters, or as international specialists in corporate, trade, environmental, or other so called "private" law matters, including international litigation. In an ever shrinking and interdependent world, International Law is also increasingly a concern for those who may have previously considered themselves as purely "domestic" lawyers. Upon successful completion of this course you should have a sound working familiarity with the basic principles of Public International Law. The required Coursebook is Janis & Noyes, International Law Cases and Commentary (Second Edition, 2001). There is no Documentary Supplement, as many of the pertinent treaties or other provisions are found in the Appendix. You are, however, also encouraged to use the Internet to research and explore the various materials we will be discussing in more detail, using the links which appear an the end of this Syllabus. Additional material will be distributed in handouts at various times during the semester. Janis, An Introduction to International Law (3rd
Edition 1999), is recommended for additional reading, and
generally follows the organization of the Coursebook. You may also find it helpful to
become familiar with the Restatement (3rd) of the Foreign Relations Law of the United
States, which attempts to codify the U.S. perspective on the rules of International
Law. A wealth of additional supplemental material may be found in the library and on the
Internet. The class will meet from 10:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. In accordance with the College policy, failure to attend 80% of the scheduled classes will result in automatic exclusion from the examination and loss of all credit for the course. Please arrive on time. Repeated late arrivals may result in an adverse "Classroom Participation" grade. Please note that there will be no class held on October 4th, October 18th, or November 1st. Make up sessions will be held as follows:
Each of these make up sessions will be videotaped, and placed on reserve in the library. Your participation in the classroom discussion and analysis of the various issues,
and exercises, is important, and required. If you feel uniquely disadvantaged by a grading
system which takes class participation into account, please discuss this with me before
the end of the add/drop period. INTBUSLAW Electronic Mailing List A web based mailing list and discussion group, called "INTBUSLAW" has also been established. This list is intended to promote discussion among students enrolled in any of the courses in Stetson's International Law and Business curriculum, as well as interested parties elsewhere. All students in the International Law course are required to subscribe to INTBUSLAW at least for the duration of the semester.
In addition to being a forum for discussion of the issues raised during the course, this list may also be used for administrative notices, changes in reading assignments, cancellations, etc. You are deemed to be fully "on notice" of any administrative messages posted to the INTBUSLAW discussion list, so be sure to check your email or the list frequently! Please be sure to read the list guidelines before subscribing or posting messages to the list, comply with Stetson's Computer & Network Use Policy, and observe proper "nettiquette." The grade in this course will be based upon your classroom participation and an examination. Your participation in the classroom discussion is important and required. If you feel you uniquely disadvantaged by a grading system that takes class participation into account, please discuss this with me before the end of the drop/add period. Your participation in the classroom will be graded as a "check ", "check +", or "check -". Strong, high quality, sustained participation in the classroom will receive a "check +", and raise the final grade by one quarter of one point (e.g. raising a 3.0 to 3.25). A failure to meaningfully contribute to the classroom discussions will receive a "check -", and lower the final grade by one quarter of one point (e.g. lowering a 3.0 to 2.75). Average participation will receive a "check " and neither raise nor lower the final grade. Participation in the INTBUSLAW discussion list is handled differently than classroom participation. Strong participation in the discussion list will be considered as if it were classroom participation for purposes of determining whether a you are entitled to a "check +" for participation credit. However, your level of usage of the discussion list will not adversely affect your participation credit. The examination is scheduled to take three hours, and will be a mix of multiple choice or short answer questions, along with one or more essay questions. It will be an open book examination, and you will be permitted to bring your Text, and any material distributed in class with you to the exam. You may also bring any class outlines which you prepare, but no other books, materials, or commercial outlines. You are encouraged to annotate your Text as we proceed through the course, but please do not abuse this privilege by attempting the wholesale incorporation of commercial or other outlines into your materials. Note that, under the current College of Law policy, if you intend to use your computer to take the exam you must use a special word processing program during the examination. As this program essentially locks you out of all computer functions other than a simple word processor used for your responses to the exam questions, you will need to print out your course outline in advance and bring it with you to the examination. Otherwise, the program will prevent you from accessing the material on your computer during the exam itself. Computerized Self-Assessment and Model Examination A computerized version of a previous final examination, with answers, is available for you to use as a study aid. You will need to download the file to your own computer, where you can run the program as a self-executing file. You will also need to have your computer's sound capabilities turned "on" in order to hear the answers. It is a moderately sizable file (8418KB) so, unless you have a fast internet connection, you may wish to download it while you are directly connected to the School's network. Click on this link to download the Computerized Self-Assessment and Model Examination. I also recommend the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI) program Writing Better Law School Exams: The Importance of Structure. This computerized instruction program on examination skills takes approximately 1 1/2 hours to complete, and is available either on Stetson's computer network or direct from CALI. I have an "open door policy." Please come by
whenever you have questions, no appointments are necessary. Also remember that you
can use the INTBUSLAW list to ask questions of your own, and to answer questions posed by
others.
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Stetson University College of Law 1401 61st Street South, Gulfport, FL 33707-3299 Phone: 727-562-7800 URL: http://www.law.stetson.edu (Click here for departmental contact information.) |
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