杜伦大学

Course Summary

The LLM in International Law and Governance programme is to provide students with skills that will enable them to thoroughly analyse and interpret legal sources, literature, and cases, and to research and formulate an independent opinion on international legal questions. Students will also learn to clearly present your findings both orally and in writing to international legal specialists, to participate actively in academic debate, and to apply this advanced academic knowledge in public international law in a professional context.

As such, an LLM in International Law and Governance will provide students with an excellent foundation to pursue an international law career, whether it is in legal practice, employment in international institutions, or employment in non-governmental organisations. The LLM qualification will be an excellent vehicle for the further development of research skills and as such also offers entry into further postgraduate study and, in particular, doctoral research.

Course Learning and Teaching

This course involves both taught modules and a substantial dissertation component. Taught modules are delivered by a mixture of lectures and seminars. Although most lectures do encourage student participation, they are used primarily to introduce chosen topics, identify relevant concepts, and introduce you to the main debates and ideas relevant to the chosen topic. They give you a framework of knowledge that you can then develop, and reflect on, through your own reading and study.

Seminars are smaller-sized, student-led classes. You are expected to carry out reading prior to classes, and are usually set questions or problems to which they will apply the knowledge they have developed. Through class discussion, or the presentation of papers, you are given the opportunity to test and refine your knowledge and understanding, in a relaxed and supportive environment.

The number of contact hours in each module will reflect that module’s credit weighting. 15-credit modules will have, in total, 15 contact hours (of either lectures or seminars); 30-credit modules will have 30 contact hours. You must accumulate, in total, between 90 and 120 credits of taught modules for the course (depending upon the length of their dissertation).

In addition to taught modules, you must produce a dissertation of between 10,000 and 20,000 words. The dissertation is intended to be the product of your own independent research. Each student is allocated a dissertation supervisor, and will have a series of (usually four) one-to-one meetings with their supervisor over the course of the academic year.

Finally, all taught postgraduate students on this course, are encouraged to attend the various events, including guest lectures and seminars, organised through the School’s research centres, including Law and Global Justice at Durham, the Human Rights Centre, the Centre for Criminal Law and Criminal Justice, and the Durham European Law Institute.