Ateneo - UPO

The class is devoted to the study of public international law. Lectures will focus on basic principles of international law and on the nature and structure of the international legal order. A special attention will be paid to international practice and case-law and, during the class, students will be offered the chances to discuss the main events of international relations and their consequences for the development of international law.

B. Conforti (a cura di M. Iovane), Diritto internazionale, Editoriale Scientifica, ultima edizione

or

E. Cannizzaro, Diritto internazionale, Giappichelli, ultima edizione

The course has the aim of offering students the opportunity to acquire a basic knowledge of international public law. In particular, students will learn the fundamental principles governing the international Community in order to understand their application within the domestic legal order and their relevance in the pursuit of an international career.

General requirements: constitutional law or public law

Traditional teaching will be complemented by debated seminars on the most relevant current topic in international relations. Attending the lectures is highly recommended.

Complementary materials (judgments, articles or papers) will be provided to students in order to focus on specific issues of international law and to stimulate discussions during the class.

Final written exam based on three open questions

- Theories of public international law and introduction to the international legal order; historical evolution and current trends
- Subjects of international law; in particular, States, international organizations, individuals and new subjects of international relations
- Sources of international law: customary law, treaties, general principles
- Sovereignty and territory; immunity; basic principles of international law
- The relationship between international law and domestic legal orders (the Italian one in particular)
- The violation of international obligations; elements of internationally wrongful acts and reactions of the International Community
- The prohibition of the use of force and the collective security system of the United Nations
- Peaceful settlements of international disputes

Acquiring the knowledge of fundamental principles of international law and the capacity to analyse and to understand the legal consequences of facts and practice relating to international relations. Understanding the mechanism guaranteeing the effectiveness of international law even in the domestic domain, especially those related to the application of international norms by national judges, law-making and regulatory authorities.