LAW 506
Public International Law
(Harrington)
Prerequisite courses: First year law
Prerequisite for: Jessup International Law Moot Competition
Recommended for courses with "International" in the title
Instructor: Professor Joanna Harrington
Method of presentation: Lecture
Teamwork: Optional
METHOD OF EVALUATION
An optional written assignment, done as a team of two, worth 25% if it improves the grade and a final examination worth 100% (or 75% if the optional assignment helps the grade)
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Public international law (also known as international law) is concerned with the rules, principles, practices, and procedures that regulate the interaction between countries, and between countries and international organizations (such as the United Nations), and in some situations, between countries, legal persons (corporations) and individuals. It is a field that attracts attention given the interconnectedness of the global world and the internationalization of legal practice in Canada and elsewhere. Lawyers dealing with people, transactions, and property in multijurisdictional scenarios need to understand the basics of public international law.
This course is a foundational course in international law. It aims to appeal to JD students looking for just one course in international law to round out their JD program, and to those wanting to sequence their courses so as to have a foundational knowledge before taking more specialized courses in the various fields of international law. This course will provide a foundation for taking advanced courses in international law subject areas such as international trade law, international criminal law, international human rights law, and international environmental law, whether here or on exchange. LAW 506 is a prerequisite (and in a pinch, a corequisite) for the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition.
This course will cover the building blocks of international law, including the sources of international legal obligation, the subjects of international law, the role of the International Court of Justice, and topics such as jurisdiction and immunities. It will also cover topics of relevance to Canada such as the law of the sea, the Arctic, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. A detailed schedule of topics and readings is posted to the course TWENsite in advance of the beginning of term. The TWENsite for the course also provides 24/7 access to past exams, past feedback on exams, and other learning aids.
Note that Public International Law is not the same as Private International Law (also called Conflict of Laws). Public International Law is a much larger field, concerned with an entire system of law, separate from, but relevant to, and interacting with, domestic law (Canadian law). Private international law is a subject area within domestic law that determines which law applies as between two domestic law jurisdictions.
This course will build on content covered in the first year of the Juris Doctor program, including contract law, property law, and constitutional law.
SPECIAL COMMENTS
Description updated 2026-27. Please contact the instructor for any specific questions you may have related to this particular course section.
REQUIRED TEXT (IF ANY)
Currie, Forcese, Harrington & Oosterveld, International Law: Doctrine, Practice, and Theory, 3rd ed (Toronto: Irwin UTP, 2022) with an e-book version available from the University of Alberta Library