Course Description
This course aims to apply the concept of global governance to several situations closely relevant to peace, security, cooperation, and development in the global society. The class will start with a general overview of some traditional notions and concepts of international law, such as State and “international society,” to understand how this community has developed over the centuries, at least from the 16th and 17th centuries, which culminated into the “Westphalia” system in 1648. Then, the war and peace topic will be followed at the turn of the 20th century with the rise of new actors, such as international organizations. Then, World War I and II brought legally binding institutions into global governance. At the same time, non-state actors such as NGOs and transnational corporations have challenged the meaning of the “community of nations” and related “the law of the nations.” Thus, this course will have seven units that have a specific theme in the unit. Each unit has two or three-week topics. Also, a weekly class comprises two meetings. One class will be a lecture and debate, while the other will be devoted to a documentary/short video watching or reading a specific case followed by a lively discussion. Through this class, students are expected to understand human history and current issues that we face in international peace, development, security, etc.

Course Requirements
- You are expected to read weekly reading assignments before the class.
- If you anticipate difficulty attending class or completing an assignment for any reason, please get in touch with the instructor as soon as possible.

Assessment
- 30 % participation during seminars (debate, analysis of the documents, etc.)
- 20 % Mid-term essay (2-3 pages, no footnote) on a specific topic related to the history of international law.
- 50 % Final assessment: a paper (around 5000 words, footnotes included) on one or more cases of a specific topic of their choice. The topic must be notified to the professor, who will assess the compatibility with the course.

Syllabus

Unit I. Framework on International Community
Week 1. Introduction to Course: Sources of International Law
Week 2. The Old World Order, Hugo Grotius (1583-1645), and the Westphalian Treaty (1648)

Unit II. War and Peace from the Late 19th Century to the First Half of the 20th Century
Week 3. War and Peace in the Late 19th and Early 20th Century: The Russo-Japanese War and Hague Peace Conference
Week 4. Introducing Crime against Peace: Kellog-Briand Pact (Pact of Paris, 1928)

Unit III. The Prohibition of the Use of Force
Week 5. Practice of Punishing Crime against Peace: Nuremberg Trial, Tokyo Trial, and Military Occupation
Week 6. UN Charter, the Use of Force, and Peace Keeping: Geneva Convention (1949) and the Korean War (1950-53)

Unit IV. The Fight Against Torture and Transnational Criminality
Week 7. Torture Issues and International Terrorism (the case of ISIS)
Week 8. Money Laundering, Corruption. Human Trafficking, and Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property

Unit V. Security and Promotion of Human Rights
Week 9. Existing Mechanism to Protect Human Rights (1): European Court of Human Rights
Week 10. Existing Mechanism to Protect Human Rights (II): Russo-Ukraine War (2022 - Present)

Unit VI. International Cooperation and Development
Week 11. The Right to Development, (In)Tangible Cultural Heritage: UNESCO (December 8: National Holiday)

Unit VII. Environmental Law and Climate Change
Week 12. Environmental Law, the Nature and the Rights

Required Readings
1. All the reading materials in the MOODLE. My lecture slides will be uploaded right after each class.
2. http://www.internationalcrimesdatabase.org: study the definitions of “courts” and the following crimes: crimes against humanity, war crime, genocide, and aggression. Plus, the paper written by the ICRC https://www.icrc.org/eng/assets/files/2014/international-criminal-justice-institutions-icrc-eng.pdf
3. Climate change litigation database http://climatecasechart.com/

Recommended but Non-Compulsory Readings
- Oona A. Hathaway and Scott J. Shapiro, The Internationalists: And Their Plan to Outlaw War (London, UK: Penguin Books, 2018).
- Valsamis Mitsilegas, Peter. Alldridge, and Leonidas Cheliotis eds., Globalisation, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice (Great Bookham, UK: Hart Publishing, 2015).
- Bardo Fassbender and Anne Peters eds., The Oxford Handbook of the History of International Law (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2012).
- Adam Roberts and Richard Guelff eds., Documents on the Laws of War (New York: Oxford University, 2010)(Third Edition)

* Please refer to e-journal sources for your research in various sites such as http://www.googlescholar.com, http://muse.jhu.edu, and http://www.jstore.org. Please consult your professor if you want to develop your interest more.

Last updated: June 14, 2024