Contemporary Problems of International Public Law

Code: ECN13104M

9 ECTS

Duration: 15 weeks/234 hours

Scientific Area: Legal-Political Theory and International Relations

Teaching languages: Portuguese

Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese, English, French, Italian

Regime de Frequência: Presencial

Sustainable Development Goals

Erradicar a pobreza - Acabar com a pobreza em todas as suas formas, em todos os lugares

Educação de qualidade - Assegurar a educação inclusiva, e equitativa e de qualidade, e promover oportunidades de aprendizagem ao longo da vida para todos.

Igualdade de género - Alcançar a igualdade de gênero e empoderar todas as mulheres e meninas.

Reduzir as desigualdades - Reduzir as desigualdades dentro dos países e entre eles.

Ação climática - Tomar medidas urgentes para combater a mudança climática e seus impactos (*).

Paz, justiça e instituições eficazes - Paz, justiça e instituições eficazes promover sociedades pacíficas e inclusivas par ao desenvolvimento sustentável, proporcionar o acesso à justiça para todos e construir instituições eficazes, responsáveis
e inclusivas em todos os níveis.

Learning Goals

The course aims to provide students with the fundamental knowledge needed to understand the contemporary functioning of the international legal order. This includes identifying the central areas of Public International Law and analyzing major international crises that have shaped the present global context.
By the end of the course, students should be able to critically reflect on the ?current issues? in Public International Law, such as human rights violations, migration, the environmental crisis, ?new conflicts? and the transformation of warfare, as well as the potential and limitations of international criminal justice.
Through active teaching methodologies, the course seeks to encourage student engagement in the learning process and to develop transversal skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, communication, and teamwork.

- Introductory Concepts and Theoretical Frameworks
- International Law and International Terrorism
- Human Rights Protection
- Peacekeeping Operations, Humanitarian Intervention, and the Responsibility to Protect (R2P)
- Migration and Human Rights Protection
- International Refugee Law
- The Environmental Crisis and Sustainable Development Challenges
- Challenges in International Criminal Justice
- The Right to Development and Poverty Alleviation
- Legal Globalism: A Critical Analysis

Teaching Methods

By adopting a student-centered teaching methodology, this Curricular Unit embraces the challenge of pedagogical innovation. It aims to cultivate essential research skills, including critical thinking, rigor, and originality. This is achieved through classroom debates and discussions, along with encouraging independent work on bibliographic research, constructing the state of the art, defining research problems, and formulating specific research questions.

Assessment

- Participation (10%)

Write an introductory research paper of between 3,000 and 5,000 words. Students may choose topics suggested by the instructor or propose other topics within the framework of International Law (70%).

Presentation of the research paper (20%)-