You are supposed to write an opening speech for the International Court of Justice, regarding a case (content of the curriculum) which was discussed in the class. Give a short summary of historical background of the case and then list the arguments of one side (choose your side).
Your argument should be a 2000-word long essay (without cover, references), in Microsoft Word format, that provides a critical synthesis of your study, including minimum of 3 related sources of international law and minimum of 3 academic sources (academic journal articles, chapters in edited books, monographs or relevant internet sources).
The home assignment needs to
· rationalize the practical and scholarly significance of the topic,
· critically review the topic and provide a synthesis of the key concepts, the related sources of international law, and scholarly ideas,
· be written with a coherent and clear structure that supports the review.
Deadline: Please see on the Moodle page of the module.
The assignment will be assessed based on the following criteria (see the grid on Moodle):
• Understanding of Material (25%)
• Analysis (30%)
• Source use (15%)
• Structure (20%)
• Language and mechanics (10%)
Papers shorter than 1800 and longer than 2200 words lose 10 points. Papers shorter than 1700 words fail automatically. Papers that do not contain a minimum of three (3) academic sources and at least two (2) sources of international law fail automatically. Academic sources are academic journal articles; chapters in edited books; and monographs. Poor academic practice will result in 0 score for referencing (Source use).
The resit arrangement for the assignment is the same as above; you may resubmit the same paper, with corrections, that you submitted by the original deadline. The resubmission deadline will be specified on Moodle after the grades for the original submission are published.
Academic conduct notice
Harvard-style referencing needs to be used consistently throughout. Incomplete referencing shall result in reporting the case to the Academic Conduct Officer, who keeps a record of such violations. First offenders may resubmit their papers and may receive 40% (BSc) at most. Repeated violations of academic standards shall be sanctioned in line with the plagiarism regulations as detailed in the Student Handbook.
Where the Academic Conduct Officer has reason to suspect that a piece of work submitted by a student was wholly or in part written by someone other than the student who submitted it, and this has not been disclosed by the student, they may call for the student to defend the work in a viva or a written comprehension test. The burden of proof in such a viva or test will be upon the student to demonstrate to the examination panel’s satisfaction his/her full comprehension of the work s/he has submitted. Failure to appear without satisfactory explanation will result in immediate failure of that assessment, with consequences of academic misconduct and application of sanctions.
List of cases:
1. Belgium-Netherlands Border Dispute
2. French Nuclear Testing case
3. GERD case
4. Kosovo’s declaration of independence
5. Anglo-Norwegian Fisheries Case
6. Corfu Incident
7. Gambia vs Mianmar ‘Genocide’ Case
8. Iran Hostage Crisis
