International law (2007/2008)

Learning outcomes

The course covers the major institutional aspects of international law. An introduction addresses the issues of the structure of international society and the nature of international law. The main focal points of the first part of the course lie in the sources of international law (the functions of production, interpretation as well as application and enforcement of international norms and the mechanisms for their implementation in the internal legal order). The second part is devoted to the study of the rules governing the establishment and functioning of some of the major international organizations. In this context, a deepened outline is given to the protection of human rights under the European Convention on Human Rights as well as to the structures, legal instruments and processes of the European Union.

The teaching method combines lectures with class discussions on specific subject-matters and case studies on the basis of materials distributed during the course.

Students’ preparation will be tested through an oral examination.
Students who attended the course can prepare on the basis of their notes and the distributed materials. Relevant materials will also be available on the web site of the course.
Students who do not attend the course should prepare on the text book: B. CONFORTI, Diritto internazionale, VII ed., Napoli, Editoriale Scientifica, 2006: Introduction and Parts One, Three, Four and Five.