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LLM International Law

  • Year of entry
    2023/24
  • Course duration
    Full Time:  12 months Part Time: 24 months
  • Year of entry
    2023/24
  • Course duration
    Full Time:  12 months Part Time: 24 months

With our LLM International Law join a dynamic and international learning environment, where academic excellence and professional relevance is at the heart of our teaching.

You will be able to choose from a wide selection of modules from the School of Law; the School of Politics, Economics and International Relations; and the ICMA Centre, part of the renowned Henley Business School.

Benefit from high-quality teaching and courses supported by expert academic researchers and practitioners, and develop links with employers and take opportunities to gain real-world experience.

The programme is offered under the auspices of global law at Reading, the home of public international law, EU law and human rights law at Reading.

You will have full access to common student spaces at Foxhill House, library access and internet access.

For more information, please visit the School of Law's website.

 

Overview

With our LLM International Law join a dynamic and international learning environment, where academic excellence and professional relevance is at the heart of our teaching.

You will be able to choose from a wide selection of modules from the School of Law; the School of Politics, Economics and International Relations; and the ICMA Centre, part of the renowned Henley Business School.

Benefit from high-quality teaching and courses supported by expert academic researchers and practitioners, and develop links with employers and take opportunities to gain real-world experience.

The programme is offered under the auspices of global law at Reading, the home of public international law, EU law and human rights law at Reading.

You will have full access to common student spaces at Foxhill House, library access and internet access.

For more information, please visit the School of Law's website.

 

Entry requirements

IELTS: 6.5 overall with no element less than 5.5 (or equivalent).

Entry requirements: Normally a good undergraduate honours degree (2.1 or above), or equivalent from a university outside the UK.

Our students come with a variety of relevant legal and non-legal experience and all applicants are considered on individual merit. 

Pre-sessional English language programme

If you need to improve your English language score, you can take a pre-sessional English course prior to entry onto your degree.

  • Find out the English language requirements for our courses and our pre-sessional English programme

Structure

  • Year 1

Compulsory modules include:

X

Module details


Title:

Introduction to International Law

Code:

LWMIIA

Convenor:

DR Alex Gilder

Summary:

Introduction to International Law teaches the basics of international law succinctly, but to an advanced level. The module is designed to provide a starting point for students entering the LLM programme who do not already have a background in international law. The module covers the key features of the international legal system, such as the nature of the international law, treaties and other sources of international law, the subjects of the international legal system, dispute settlement and the establishment of state responsibility.  It also gives students the opportunity to put some of the mechanisms of the international legal system into practice, through interactive group exercises.

This module is taught twice to two different cohorts of students, one in the Autumn term and one in the Spring term.  The contact hours are listed for the first iteration of teaching in the Autumn term and these same contact hours are repeated for the second iteration of teaching in the Spring term.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Dissertation

Code:

LWMTDI

Convenor:

DR Ruvi Ziegler

Summary:

The aim of this module is to develop high-level skills in research design, management and implementation through conduct of a major independent research project and writing of the Dissertation.

Assessment Method:

Dissertation 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Code Module Convenor
LWMIIA Introduction to International Law DR Alex Gilder
LWMTDI Dissertation DR Ruvi Ziegler

Optional modules include:

X

Module details


Title:

Contemporary Issues in International Law

Code:

LWMCIL

Convenor:

DR Alex Gilder

Summary:

Contemporary Issues in International Law will enable students to investigate both macro-level issues of how the international legal system addresses crises such as insecurity or climate change and micro-level practical case studies where students are able to appreciate international law in action. Not focusing on specific branches of international law, the content on this module evolves year on year to cover contemporary ‘flashpoints’ and reflect teaching staff expertise. Topics could include a range of issues such as insecurity, cyberspace, global health, sustainable development, and transitional justice. The module will offer interdisciplinary perspectives, key case studies that are relevant to current global challenges, and coverage of the contemporary ‘big questions’ in international law.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 60%, Report 40%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Human Rights Law, Policy, and Practice

Code:

LWMHRL

Convenor:

DR Steve Samuel

Summary:

This module introduces students to foundational human rights concepts, principles, institutions, challenges, as well as developments. Specifically, it considers the existence and nature of different types of human rights (civil, political, economic, social, and cultural), as well as different categories of rights (absolute, limited, and qualified). These are illustrated through the examination of different ‘hard’ law human rights instruments, particularly the International Civil and Political Rights 1966, and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 1966 as well as diverse ‘soft’ law and policy instruments (eg the UN Declaration of Human  Rights 1948, the treaty bodies, and independent experts). The module examines examples of different types of rights, particularly those that are most commonly violated in such contexts as responding to security threats or emergency situations (eg the right to life, prohibition against torture, denial of liberty). Similarly, it considers significant challenges associated with the realisation of other human rights, notably resource challenges for poorer states seeking the ‘progressive realisation’ of rights such as food, water, shelter, and adequate healthcare. It examines too a number of currently topical and emerging issues, for example in relation to third generation rights, global capitalism, and disasters.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

International Organisations and Global Governance

Code:

LWMIGG

Convenor:

DR Anne Thies

Summary:

This module identifies, examines, and critically evaluates a number of key international organisations as well as interdisciplinary content on their role in global governance. The module covers relevant legal principles, ranging from the creation of an international organisation with separate legal personality, its outputs and role in the global order, its legal obligations and dispute settlement, recognising the historical, political and economic context in which organisations operate and interact with other subjects of the international legal order. The module is taught through a focus on different international organisations as case studies throughout the module, and with the development of thematic understanding throughout the module.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 50%, Oral 50%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

International Investment Law and Arbitration

Code:

LWMILA

Convenor:

MISS Stanislava Nedeva

Summary:

This module offers an in-depth introduction to the law of foreign investment and investment treaty arbitration. Through a close analysis of the substance of bilateral investment treaties and the settlement of investor-state disputes via arbitration, students will acquire understanding of the law, politics and economics of the investment treaty regime.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

International Refugee Law

Code:

LWMIRL

Convenor:

DR Ruvi Ziegler

Summary:

This module explores a major area of public international law that regulates a (limited) exception to the principles of state sovereignty and migration control. The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees concerns the protection of persons who have crossed an international border and are outside their state of origin owing to a well-founded fear of persecution in that state for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion. Global debates continue regarding the nature of the protection that refugees should be granted, the role of the international community, and the obligations of states of asylum. The module will provide students with a critical understanding of the international regime of refugee protection by highlighting its virtues and shortcomings. The first session will explore the history, structure, and aims of the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Subsequently, the module considers criteria for the attainment (‘inclusion’), exclusion from, and cessation of refugee status; the non-refoulement principle; complementary and subsidiary protection regimes; challenges arising in the context of displacement from conflict; and a case-study of the treatment of African asylum-seekers in Israel. The module concludes by appraising the limits of the international refugee protection.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

International Trade and WTO Law

Code:

LWMITW

Convenor:

DR Anne Thies

Summary:

This module examines the law governing international trade, with a particular focus on the law established by the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements. After introducing the historical development of the international economic law system and institutions, the module analyses core principles of WTO law and the WTO dispute settlement system. The module also examines the role of regional trade agreements that complement the WTO agreements, and it reflects on how current challenges might influence the future of international trade law.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Law of Armed Conflict (International Humanitarian Law)

Code:

LWMTAC

Convenor:

DR Saeed Bagheri

Summary:

The law of armed conflict (LOAC) (also known as ‘international humanitarian law’) concerns a major substantive area of public international law (the jus in bello). It examines issues including the legal protections for injured or captured combatants and civilians, the rules as to how warfare is to be conducted, such as the prohibition of or restrictions on the use of certain weapons and rules on targeting, and the law of occupation. It also offers introductions into cutting-edge areas including displacement and complex emergencies in armed conflict. The module offers a unique insight into some of the most controversial and fundamental aspects of the modern international legal order and their manifestations in practice (such as the law applicable to so-called ‘modern’ conflicts between States and transnational non-State armed groups or the occupation of the Palestinian Territories). The module essentially asks how – in what manner – war must be fought in the modern world. This question is assessed through both abstract examination of the law and through detailed real world case studies. This module is designed to complement the LWMTUF International Law and the Use of Military Force module, which considers the rules of international law applicable to initial uses of military force in the international sphere, prior to an armed conflict emerging (the ius ad bellum). However, the modules can also be taken wholly independently.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Research Methods for LLM Students

Code:

LWMTLM

Convenor:

PROF Aleardo Zanghellini

Summary:

Assessment Method:

Assignment 90%, Oral 10%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Research Methods

Code:

LWMTRM

Convenor:

PROF Aleardo Zanghellini

Summary:

This module aims to assist students in the formulation of a research question appropriate to their chosen area of study and to develop the skills necessary to plan and execute their research programme within the time and resources available. The module aims to foster the practical, generic and personal transferable skills necessary to conduct independent research. Students will also be expected to gain an appreciation of the social, ethical and policy context of research. Finally, the module also aims to provide practical assistance for students in developing skills in using the internet, electronic library resources, and other documentary sources for undertaking research.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 70%, Oral 30%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

The Use of Military Force

Code:

LWMTUM

Convenor:

DR Saeed Bagheri

Summary:

The Use of Military Force explores a major area of public international law (also referred to as the jus ad bellum) that deals with the military actions of States. It examines the prohibition on the use of force in international law and the exceptions to that prohibition. As such, the module offers a unique insight into the some of the most controversial and fundamental aspects of the modern international legal order and their manifestations in practice (such as 2003 invasion of Iraq, international military intervention in the non-international armed conflict in Syria, and 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine). It analyses the successes and failures of that order in attempting to, as the UN Charter put it in 1945, ‘save succeeding generations from the scourge of war’. The module essentially asks when – under what circumstances – is the resort to military force lawful. This question is assessed through both abstract examination of the law and through detailed real world case studies.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 80%, Oral 20%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Code Module Convenor
LWMCIL Contemporary Issues in International Law DR Alex Gilder
LWMHRL Human Rights Law, Policy, and Practice DR Steve Samuel
LWMIGG International Organisations and Global Governance DR Anne Thies
LWMILA International Investment Law and Arbitration MISS Stanislava Nedeva
LWMIRL International Refugee Law DR Ruvi Ziegler
LWMITW International Trade and WTO Law DR Anne Thies
LWMTAC Law of Armed Conflict (International Humanitarian Law) DR Saeed Bagheri
LWMTLM Research Methods for LLM Students PROF Aleardo Zanghellini
LWMTRM Research Methods PROF Aleardo Zanghellini
LWMTUM The Use of Military Force DR Saeed Bagheri

These are the modules that we currently offer. They may change for your year of study as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Fees

New UK/Republic of Ireland students: £10,500

New international students: £21,350

Tuition fee information

The fees listed are for full-time study, unless otherwise stated. Fee information will be confirmed in offer letters sent out to successful applicants. You can find further information, including information for part-time study, through our dedicated fees and funding page.

EU student fees

With effect from 1 August 2021, new EU students will pay international tuition fees. For exceptions, please read the UK government’s guidance for EU students.

Additional costs

Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.

Financial support for your studies

You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.

International students applying to study this degree may also be eligible to apply for a Chevening Scholarship.

Careers

The skills gained by undertaking a postgraduate law degree are in great demand from both legal and non-legal employers. LLM International Law will be an asset for students seeking employment in international courts and tribunals, United Nations agencies, legal practice and advocacy in the international law field, international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the public service (in the areas of foreign relations, international development, etc), law reform agencies, the media (journalism and broadcasting) and academia (with further postgraduate study).

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