Following the successful completion of the coursework, students are required to submit a graduation thesis on a topic of their choice. The Thesis must address and analyse a topic that falls within the subject area of one of the courses offered within the the International Dispute Settlement and Arbitration Programme and must be selected in consultation with a member of the teaching staff, who will also supervise the process. Students are advised to think strategically when selecting their topic and are encouraged to choose one that is interesting to them and could be an asset for further professional career and/or PhD.
The content of the thesis should be between fifteen to twenty thousand (15.000 - 20.000) words including footnotes. Submission deadline will be mid-June 2024, the exact date is still to be announced.
Objectives of the course
Following the successful completion of the taught courses of the programme, students are required to submit a thesis on a topic of their choice. It must address and analyse an issue in the field of International Dispute Settlement and Arbitration
Modes of instruction
Thesis workshops will be provided in order to guide the students through the process of completing their theses. The thesis workshop series consists of four plenary sessions (2 hours each). The sessions take the form of interactive seminars or group discussion combining both instruction and individual feedback on students’ thesis ideas, structure, and approach. Students will be advised on a range of aspects of academic (thesis) writing, including the choice of research topics, designing a thesis project, determining suitable research methodology and techniques, etc.
These extracurricular workshops are complementary to any regular thesis-related activities, including individual meetings between students and their supervisors. The Faculty reserves the right to cancel/add any number of thesis workshops.
Readings
Students have to collect relevant materials to the topic of their thesis themselves.
Suggested resources for general thesis writing:
Bianchi, A., International Law Theories: An Inquiry into Different Ways of Thinking (Oxford University Press, 2016)
UN Treaty Collection (https://treaties.un.org/pages/Home.aspx?clang=_en)
ICJ Website (https://www.icj-cij.org/)
UN Audiovisual Library (http://legal.un.org/avl/lectureseries.html)
Travaux préparatoires (Historical Archives) (http://legal.un.org/avl/historicarchives.html)
EJIL: Talk! (http://www.eisil.org/)
AJIL: Unbound (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-journal-ofinternational-law/ajil-unbound)