General Course Information
1.1 Course details
| Course code: | LLAW6007 / JDOC6007 |
| Course name: | International Dispute Settlement |
| Programme offered under: | LLM Programme / JD Programme |
| Semester: | Second |
| Prerequisites / Co-requisites: | No |
| Credit point value: | 9 credits / 6 credits |
1.2 Course description
Disputes are bound to arise on the international level. UN Charter Articles 2(3) and 33 require states to resolve their disputes through peaceful means, which include “negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional agencies or arrangements, or other peaceful means of their own choice.” Inasmuch as these peaceful means of dispute settlement are governed by a body of rules and principles, lawyers play an important role in making sure that such means are used in a fair and effective manner. After explaining the history and development of international dispute settlement, as well as the general obligation on states to resolve their disputes peacefully, this course will explore each method in light of the relevant law and cases, with particular emphasis being placed on legal resolution through international courts and tribunals, including international arbitration and resolution through the International Court of Justice, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, and the WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism. The course concludes by looking at the future of international dispute settlement, including the need for conflict prevention and dialogue, the increasing juridification of dispute settlement, and the problems associated with the proliferation of dispute settlement mechanism.
1.3 Course teachers
| Name | E-mail address | Office | Consultation | |
| Course convenor | Roda Mushkat | mroda@hku.hk | CCT 404 | By email |
Learning Outcomes
2.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for this course
CLO 1 Thoroughly understand the international law and practice related to the settlement of international disputes.
CLO 2 Ability to examine and critically assess the various settlement mechanisms available for resolving , in a peaceful manner, international disputes.
CLO 3 Develop full awareness of the appropriateness of particular settlement mechanisms to specific disputes.
CLO 4 Apply skills of conflict analysis to international scenarios.
2.2 LLM and JD Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Please refer to the following link:
LLM – https://course.law.hku.hk/llm-plo/
JD – https://course.law.hku.hk/jd-plo/
2.3 Programme Learning Outcomes to be achieved in this course
| PLO A | PLO B | PLO C | PLO D | PLO E | PLO F | |
| CLO 1 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 3 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 4 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Assessment(s)
3.1 Assessment Summary
| Assessment task | Due date | Weighting | Feedback method* | Course learning outcomes |
| General class participation | N/A | 20% | 1, 2, 3, 4 | |
| Oral presentation | 26 Apr & 3 May 2023 | 20% | 1, 2, 3, 4 | |
| Short “on call” paper | TBC | 20% | 1, 2, 3, 4 | |
| Final paper | 17 May 2023 | 40% | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| *Feedback method (to be determined by course teacher) | |
| 1 | A general course report to be disseminated through Moodle |
| 2 | Individual feedback to be disseminated by email / through Moodle |
| 3 | Individual review meeting upon appointment |
| 4 | Group review meeting |
| 5 | In-class verbal feedback |
3.2 Assessment Detail
To be advised by course convenor(s).
3.3 Grading Criteria
Please refer to the following link: https://www.law.hku.hk/_files/law_programme_grade_descriptors.pdf
Learning Activities
4.1 Learning Activity Plan
| Seminar: | 3 hours / week for 12 teaching weeks |
| Private study time: | 9.5 hours / week for 12 teaching weeks |
Remarks: the normative student study load per credit unit is 25 ± 5 hours (ie. 150 ± 30 hours for a 6-credit course), which includes all learning activities and experiences within and outside of classroom, and any assessment task and examinations and associated preparations.
4.2 Details of Learning Activities
To be advised by course convenor(s).
Learning Resources
5.1 Resources
| Reading materials: | Reading materials are posted on Moodle |
| Core reading list: | Mary Ellen O’Connell, International Dispute Resolution: Cases and Materials, 2nd ed (2012) [“OC”] |
| Recommended reading list: | TBA |
5.2 Links
Please refer to the following link: http://www.law.hku.hk/course/learning-resources/