This course covers the law that applies to international organizations (IOs) both from within (institutional law) and on the international plane (the ‘public international law of IOs’).
Course Objectives
The main objective of this course is to engage with foundational issues that various IOs encounter while also pondering how IOs fit in an international legal system that was state-centric in origin.
Achievement levels
This course will not be an attempt to study as many individual international organizations as possible. Instead, the course will familiarize students with a number of fundamentals of international institutional law.
Mode of Instruction
The lectures will be held on campus, in Leiden. Students are required to prepare for the lectures by doing the reading prescribed in advance (a detailed syllabus with instructions for preparation will be made available in due course).
Assessment Method(s)
Students will be assessed on the basis of a written exam at the end of the course. More details will be provided opportunely.
Reading List
Henry G. Schermers & Niels M. Blokker, International Institutional Law (7th ed. 2025)
Other reading materials are indicated in the course syllabus. Several of those will be linked directly to an online source. Where a link is not given, the piece may be found by searching the Leiden University library online catalogue
Brightspace
Additional reading will be indicated in the course reader and in the electronic learning environment, Brightspace.
Disclaimer
Should there be any future extenuating circumstances which may impinge our teaching and assessment, these could necessitate modification of the course descriptions after 1 September. This will only happen in the event of strict necessity and the interests of the students will be taken into account. Should there be a need for any change during the course, this will be informed to all students on a timely basis. Modifications after 1 September 2025 may only be done with the approval and consent of the Faculty Board and Programme Director.