Dr Kirsten Ainley CLM 7.07

This course is available on the MSc in China in Comparative Perspective, MSc in Global Politics, MSc in Global Politics, MSc in Global Politics (Global Civil Society), MSc in Human Rights, MSc in International Relations, MSc in International Relations (LSE and Sciences Po), MSc in International Relations (Research), MSc in International Relations Theory, MSc in Political Theory and MSc in Theory and History of International Relations. This course is not available as an outside option.

An introduction to the politics of the creation and implementation of international law, intended for non-lawyers. The course focuses on the areas of international law most relevant to International Political Theory: human rights, the use of force and international crime, and examines the increasing legalization of international politics, the tensions between international politics and international law, alternatives to international law and international law post 9/11.

Watch a short introductory video on this course: http://www2.lse.ac.uk/internationalRelations/video/IR464-PIL-video.aspx

20 hours of seminars in the LT. 4 hours of seminars in the ST.

There are no lectures on the course, but there are a number of voluntary workshops as well as a voluntary class trip to international courts in The Hague.

Armstrong, D. International Law & International Relations (Cambridge, 2007); Bass, G Stay the Hand of Vengeance: The Politics of War Crimes Tribunals (Princeton UP, 2000); Koskenniemi, M. From Apology to Utopia: The Structure of International Legal Argument (Cambridge, 2006); Maogoto, J. War Crimes and Realpolitik: International Justice from World War I to the 21st Century (Lynn Rienner, 2004); May, L. Crimes against Humanity: A Normative Account (Cambridge, 2004); McGoldrick, D. From 9-11 to the Iraq War 2003: International Law in an Age of Complexity (Hart Publishing, 2004); Reus-Smit, C ed. The Politics of International Law (Cambridge UP, 2004); Rochester, JM. Between Peril & Promise: The Politics of International Law (CQ Press, 2006); Robertson, G. Crimes Against Humanity: The Struggle for Global Justice (Penguin, 2006); Simpson, G. Law, War & Crime (Polity, 2007).

Exam (50%, duration: 2 hours) in the main exam period.
Essay (50%, 4000 words) in the LT.

The principal aim of this course is to examine the relationship between law, politics and (occasionally) ethics at the international level. Students will be expected to read widely across difficult and demanding material at the cutting edge of contemporary international political and legal theory and to participate in discussions, therefore a strong grasp of academic English is necessary. It is recommended but not required that students take course IR462 prior to IR464. The objectives of the IR464 course are to facilitate students 1) in a critical engagement with a wide range of literature in contemporary international legal and political theory, broadly defined; and 2) in the display of this engagement via the development of a succinct writing style and the ability to present complex arguments orally.