Does international law protect the interests of sovereign states or does it protect the interests of individuals or of humanity? What happens (or ought to happen) when the protection of sovereignty threatens the wellbeing of individuals? 

International law certainly arose to promote sovereignty and to protect states in their international interactions. Over the years that core principle has appeared to clash with a concern for humanity. New laws – humanitarian and human rights laws – arose to plug this gap. But the tension between protecting states and protecting humans arises again and again. Protecting states and those who live in them can be a good thing and we will explore some of the arguments that think international law should be limited to respect this fact. But it can also be exclusionary and undermine the well-being of individuals in radical ways and we will also explore these arguments. The law has changed and attitudes about what its purpose is have too. We will learn about the contours of this change and how to think about what the law ought to do and what changes the answer to that question demands of institutions and practises. 

This module explores the intersection between international political theory and international law. Questions of justice and legitimacy feature prominently in both disciplines and as the international legal order increases its scope and power questions of justice, fairness and legitimacy assume a greater urgency. But the application of these concepts to international law is challenging in a number of ways. Taking lessons from political theory, international law and international relations scholarship on how to understand these challenges and to overcome them the module asks you consider the normative and sociological basis of global justice. 

• Demonstrate an understanding of the main strands of debate in contemporary international political theory.
• Demonstrate a critical understanding of key texts and traditions in IPT.
• Engage critically with questions of legitimacy and justice in international law theory.

The module will be delivered primarily through large and small group face-to-face sessions.  Digital learning activities may be included to support face-to-face delivery.  Full details on the delivery mode for this module will be available on Learning Central at the start of the module.

Studying this course will provide students with structured opportunities to practise and develop the following skills:

• critical reading, listening and note-taking.
• participation in small and large group discussion.
• providing an accurate summary of the central themes and arguments of academic texts, through both oral and written communication.
• engaging critically with theoretical materials of different perspectives.
• drawing on both historical and theoretical or conceptual texts to analyse concrete conditions in international relations.
• planning and writing a well organised, fully substantiated and correctly referenced academic essay.

The module will be assessed by:

Short writing exercise (20 %)

Essay (70%)

Engagement portfolio (10%)

If you fail the module, you will be required to resit failed/outstanding assessment components.  Resit assessments will be held in the Resit Examination period, prior to the start of the following academic session.  You will be notified of your eligibility to resit modules after the Examining Board in the Summer period.

The module is structured in three parts. The first part examines the historical foundations of international political theory (IPT) in the cosmopolitan/communitarian debate. The second part examines the main theoretical approaches to questions of justice and legitimacy in international law situating them in the context of critical responses and recent debates. The final part takes a much more recent text and asks students to critically explore its argument and to examine the nature of its contribution to the field.

The module asks students to consider what justice and legitimacy requires of the international legal order.