SYLLABUS

Office hours: Tuesday, 2:30-4:20
Tel: 542-7052
Email: bodansky@uga.edu
Assistant: Shawn Lanphere, Rusk 313, 542-9357

I.          Overview

This course provides a general introduction to the international legal process. In studying the international legal process, we will examine many of the basic doctrines of international law, including the sources of international law, the creation and continuity of states, international organizations, and the use of force. But the primary purpose of the course is to investigate the role that law plays in international society, not to survey the substantive rules of international law.

The basic quandary of international law arises from the fact that there is no authoritative decision-maker at the international level either to say what the law is (the role that legislatures and courts play in national legal systems) or to implement and enforce the law (the role of the executive branch). Many commentators argue that, consequently, international law is really just rhetoric used by states to justify their actions, but which they violate when it suits their interests. As the French philosopher, Raymond Aron, once quipped, "International law is a permanent incitement to hypocrisy."

The course will assess the status of international law by examining the following questions:

                          (2)      How do we ascertain the rules of international law, in the absence of courts?

                          (3)      What reasons do states have to comply with those norms?

We will address these questions in the context of particular case studies or current events. The class will consist mostly of discussion.

II.         Readings

The required text is:

Jeffrey Dunoff, Steven Ratner & David Wippman, International Law: Norms, Actors, Process (Aspen 2002)

In addition, there are photocopied Supplemental Readings, available for purchase from Shawn Lanphere in Rusk 313.

If you are interested in further information about international law, other good sources include:

Ian Brownlie, Principles of Public International Law (Oxford Univ. Press 5th ed. 1999).

III.       Web Site

             The Web site for this class is:

The Web site includes supplemental readings, the course syllabus and reading list, exams from previous years, and links to resources on the Web that are relevant to the topics we are studying. I also plan to use the Web site to make announcements and respond to general questions about the course, so you should check it on a regular basis.

There will be a three-hour open-book final exam. "Open-book" means that you may consult the assigned readings, class handouts, and your notes.