First assignment

(due January 2022)

Introduction to Public International Law

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International law is not ‘international’ and it
certainly is not ‘law’.

Critically evaluate this statement, referring to the views of

Anthony D’Amato, John Bolton and Anthea Roberts

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Your primary reading will consist of:
• J. Bolton, Is There Really “Law" in International Affairs? 10
Transnational Law and Contemporary Problems [2000]
• A. D’Amato, Is International Law Really ‘Law’? 79
Northwestern University Law Review [1985]
• A. Roberts, Is International Law International? (OUP, 2017)

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In addition to the primary readings, students may wish to look
at the following (not compulsory):
• Gaubatz and MacArthur, How International Is 'International' Law? 22
Michigan Journal of International Law [2001] – particularly pp. 276-8.
• A. Anghie, Imperialism, Sovereignty and the Making of International
Law, (Cambridge, 2008)

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• Essays must be submitted electronically as a Word (.doc
or .docx) document (not a pdf) before the deadline via
Moodle.
• Please ensure that your word count and student number (but
not your name) are included on the cover page.
• Also ensure your pages are numbered.

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• The word count is 1,500 words.
• Footnotes and bibliographies are not included in the word
count.
• This essay is worth 40% of your final mark.

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• Times New Roman, Calibri or Arial fonts, size 12, are
recommended.
• Line spacing: 2.0 (double spaced).
• Students may lose marks for using smaller sized fonts or for
submitting work that is not double spaced.

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• Essays are to be submitted online through the Turnitin link on
the module’s Moodle page before 4:30pm on the day of the
deadline.
• If you encounter difficulties, please contact the programme
administrator directly – your lecturer is unable to authorize
extensions.

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• If you are unable to meet the deadline, your assessment will
receive a penalty mark (capped at the pass mark), unless you
have submitted a mitigating circumstances claim that has
been accepted.

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• Mitigating Circumstances are defined as circumstances that
are outside the student's control, and that significantly
disrupt the student's performance in assessment.
• If you are unable to complete and submit an assessment or
consider that you have performed poorly as a result of
unexpected or unforeseen circumstances, you should submit
a Mitigating Circumstances claim to explain the reasons for
this as soon as possible or within 14 days of the assessment
deadline at the latest.
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• Please refer to the College's
Mitigating Circumstances Policy and Procedure for more
information.
• We expect that all the work you produce for a module to be
your own original work i.e. you must not copy work (in any
form) from anyone or anywhere else.
• Where you want to draw on the work of others you must
acknowledge the source correctly according to academic
referencing rules for your programme.
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• Birkbeck takes any instance of an alleged assessment offence
very seriously and has an Assessment Offences Policy that
explains what will happen if we suspect students have
committed an assessment offence.

• Make the most of the Study Skills resources to support your

studies, including online tutorials on citation and referencing

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There are various types of assessment offence you need to be
aware of. These include:
• Plagiarism
• Collusion
• Contract cheating

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I can be contacted through email:
• a.raiss-tousi@bbk.ac.uk

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