Students

LAWS8015 – Public International Law

2026 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Marie-Eve Loiselle
Tutor
Shawkat Alam
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to GradCertLaw or JD or LLM or MIntTrdeComLaw
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

Public international law regulates the legal issues that have global or transboundary dimensions. Through this unit students evaluate the effectiveness of international law in addressing real problems that confront the international community. The unit provides an introduction to public international law's key principles, rules, norms and practices. Coverage includes the role of the United Nations, the law of treaties, the rights and responsibilities of states vis-a-vis each other, their own nationals and those of other states, the limits of state jurisdiction, state and diplomatic immunity, international dispute settlement and the relationship between international law and Australia's legal system. 

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of the fundamental principles of public international law including the identification and analysis of key primary sources of international law including treaties and case law.
  • ULO2: Describe the role, rights and responsibilities of some major international organisations under international law.
  • ULO3: Apply international law to complex situations and explain the operation of the rights and responsibilities of states in relation to other states; international institutions; private interests and domestic populations. 
  • ULO4: Critically analyse the relationship between international and national law, particularly Australian law.
  • ULO5: Describe and assess the various means for dispute resolution at international law 
  • ULO6: Communicate professionally, effectively and in a timely manner in legal and interdisciplinary settings, and participate in verbal and non-verbal exchanges with diverse audiences and in diverse contexts.
  • ULO7: Learn and work independently, meet deadlines, and reflect on performance in a legal setting using feedback to support personal and professional development.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI assisted?
Professional Skills 20% No Ongoing Individual No Observed
Practice-Based Task 30% No 6 April 2026, 11:55 pm Individual No Open AI
Exam 50% No During university exam period Individual No Observed

Professional Skills

Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 20%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?: Observed

Students will develop essential legal professional skills through structured classroom activities such as oral advocacy, critical reasoning, strategic problem-solving, collaborative work, team leadership, mooting, simulated client consultations, legal presentations or demonstrations, doctrinal analysis and problem solving, and/or collaborative legal research. These activities are designed to develop students’ professional capabilities including capacity to communicate legal concepts clearly and engage professionally with diverse audiences in diverse contexts.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of the fundamental principles of public international law including the identification and analysis of key primary sources of international law including treaties and case law.
  • Describe the role, rights and responsibilities of some major international organisations under international law.
  • Apply international law to complex situations and explain the operation of the rights and responsibilities of states in relation to other states; international institutions; private interests and domestic populations. 
  • Critically analyse the relationship between international and national law, particularly Australian law.
  • Describe and assess the various means for dispute resolution at international law 
  • Communicate professionally, effectively and in a timely manner in legal and interdisciplinary settings, and participate in verbal and non-verbal exchanges with diverse audiences and in diverse contexts.
  • Learn and work independently, meet deadlines, and reflect on performance in a legal setting using feedback to support personal and professional development.

Practice-Based Task

Assessment Type 1: Professional task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 6 April 2026, 11:55 pm
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?: Open AI

An assessment on professional skills and knowledge relevant to the unit. This could be a legal or policy brief, a report, an essay, a law reform proposal, legal pleadings or other related professional task. This assessment may require students to prepare a response through research and adhere to discipline-specific scholarly conventions.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of the fundamental principles of public international law including the identification and analysis of key primary sources of international law including treaties and case law.
  • Describe the role, rights and responsibilities of some major international organisations under international law.
  • Apply international law to complex situations and explain the operation of the rights and responsibilities of states in relation to other states; international institutions; private interests and domestic populations. 
  • Critically analyse the relationship between international and national law, particularly Australian law.
  • Describe and assess the various means for dispute resolution at international law 
  • Learn and work independently, meet deadlines, and reflect on performance in a legal setting using feedback to support personal and professional development.

Exam

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: During university exam period
Weighting: 50%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?: Observed

An invigilated examination. The exam may cover any or all topics and materials covered in the unit.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of the fundamental principles of public international law including the identification and analysis of key primary sources of international law including treaties and case law.
  • Describe the role, rights and responsibilities of some major international organisations under international law.
  • Apply international law to complex situations and explain the operation of the rights and responsibilities of states in relation to other states; international institutions; private interests and domestic populations. 
  • Critically analyse the relationship between international and national law, particularly Australian law.
  • Describe and assess the various means for dispute resolution at international law 
  • Learn and work independently, meet deadlines, and reflect on performance in a legal setting using feedback to support personal and professional development.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

Delivery

This unit is delivered via weekly (live and pre-recorded) lectures and weekly (in-person) or fortnightly (online) tutorials.

This unit is worth 10 credit points, which equates to 150 hours of work. Therefore, students should expect to commit an average of 10 hours per week to this unit, including all scheduled and unscheduled activities and preparing and executing the assessment tasks.

Resources

The required textbook is:

Cecily Rose et al, An Introduction to Public International Law (Cambridge University Press, 2022).

Students can purchase the textbook online from online resellers such as Booktopia, Amazon and Zookal. 

Additional readings will be accessible through iLearn.

Students require access to a computer, internet with decent speed and a secure/reliable server. The iLearn page contains all Unit requirements and a weekly schedule. Information about all assessment tasks is also available on iLearn.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Academic Success

Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2026.03 of the Handbook