MSL861 International Courts and Processes

[3–0, 3 cr.]

This course introduces students to several important international courts including the International Court of Justice, the European Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, the International Criminal Tribunal and the Central American Court of Justice.  It seeks to explain the formation, design and expansion of international courts from both political and legal perspectives.

On the political side, the course focuses on factors such as states’ capabilities, regime type, functional need and diffusion. On the legal side, it examines the intersection of domestic and international law, emphasizing the major legal systems in the world (civil law, common law, Islamic law). The course also focuses on the distinction made by international courts for interstate interactions and foreign policy behavior more broadly.