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PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAW

Introduction Development of international law: historical perspectives, the role of the development of

the nation/state, the process of colonisation and its impact on international law, the various approaches

to international law.

Unit 1 Sources of international law:Distinction between material and formal sources, customary law,

treaties, general principles of law, general principles of international law, judicial decisions, the writings

of publicists, equity in judgements and advisory opinions of the international court, considerations of

humanity, the statute of the international court of justice etc

Unit 2 Subjects of international law :Introduction, established legal persons, special types of personality,

controversial candidatures, incidence and continuity of statehood, recognition of state and governments

Unit 3 The relation of municipal and international law:Theoretical problems, theories of coordination,

the relation between obligations of states and municipal law, the position of the individual, issues of

municipal law before international tribunals, municipal laws as facts before international tribunals,

issues of international law before municipal courts

Unit 4 Territorial sovereignty :Territorial sovereignty, the creation and transfer of territorial sovereignty,

status of territory etc

Unit 5 Jurisdiction: The principle of domestic jurisdiction, civil and criminal jurisdiction, piracy, war

crimes, crimes against peace and crimes against humanity, extradition, extra territorial jurisdiction,

immunities from jurisdiction

Unit 6 The law of treaties:The making of treaties, reservation to treaties, entry into force of treaties, the

application of treaties, the amendment and modification of treaties, treaty interpretation, the

termination of treaties

Unit 7 Law of the sea: UNCLOS, territorial sea, contiguous zone and exclusive economic zones,

specialized rights, the continental shelf: delimitation of continental shelf and exclusive economic zones,

the regime of the high seas

Unit 8 International institutions/tribunals:The growth of international institutions, the theory behind

international institutions, the kinds of international institutions, UN and its specialized agencies, UN and

its role in creation of international law, the ICJ, etc the critical appraisal of international institutions

Unit 10 Common amenities and cooperation in the use of resources :The peaceful use of atomic

resources, conservation of living resources of the high seas, Antarctica, outer space, international rivers,

canals etc