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LAW-40043 - Module Specification
School of Law
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

For academic year: 2023/24 Last Updated: 13 February 2024

LAW-40043 - International Environmental Law
Coordinator: Mario Prost Tel: +44 1782 7 33097
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 7
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office: 01782 733218

Programme/Approved Electives for 2023/24

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

First or second class honours degree in Law or a related discipline (such as politics, criminology, sociology or history), or appropriate professional qualifications and/or experience

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2023/24

This module offers a critical perspective on the development of international environmental law. It provides a grounding in the legal norms, institutions and processes of the field, and explores current environmental global issues such as biodiversity loss, trade and environment, food security and climate change through specific treaty regimes. Drawing on a range of legal, policy and other literature, the module highlights key challenges facing the regulation of the environment today.

Aims
This module provides an outline of the international environmental law framework and offers students detailed insight into specific treaty regimes such as the Convention on Biological Diversity; the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the World Trade Organisation.
The three principal aims of this module are:
1) to situate the historical development of international environmental law within a colonial and theological context;
2) to think critically about the basic rules, principles, institutions and processes of international environmental law, and
3) to open discussion on some of the structural limits and biases of international environmental law.

Talis Aspire Reading List
Any reading lists will be provided by the start of the course.
http://lists.lib.keele.ac.uk/modules/law-40043/lists

Intended Learning Outcomes

Identify, explain and critically evaluate the fundamental principles and rules of international environmental law will be achieved by assessments: 1, 2
Demonstrate deep understanding of specific treaty regimes will be achieved by assessments: 1, 2
Analyse the role of international environmental law in its wider legal, political and economic context will be achieved by assessments: 1, 2

Study hours

Seminars: 10 x 2 = 20 hours
Class preparation, including group assignment: 50 hours
Essay: 80 hours
Total = 150 hours

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Research Report weighted 20%
Group presentation of research report on a treaty regime
This will involve a compulsory group exercise whereby each group will undertake research into an environmental treaty regime and give a 20-minutes class presentation on their final report. The group will need to identify the regime's historical development, its key features (principles, rules, institutions) and the main challenges to its implementation. The report will be submitted in hard copy, following the presentation. The purpose of the presentation is to assess the students' knowledge of international environmental law, as applied in their report. Students' presentation skills will not be assessed. Contributions to the presentation report are assessed collectively, i.e. all students in a group are awarded the same mark.

2: Essay weighted 80%
3,000 words research essay
This will involve a longer individual exercise whereby students must formulate their research question in discussion with the course convenor, and produce a 3,000 word essay at the end of the term. The questions may focus on issues discussed in class, on the treaty regime covered in the group presentation, or on a topic of their own choosing.

Please note that for the 2022/23 Academic Year programmes may be adapted to operate in accordance with a flexible, digital approach. This means that there may be some changes made to how modules are delivered and assessed. The latest information will be provided to you by your School in module handbooks. We endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes and details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/student-terms-and-conditions/

Last Updated: 13 February 2024