Course Catalogue

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Investment Law: Current Trends and Challenges complements the existing courses of the LLM in international investment law and arbitration by 'zooming in' on questions of current relevance, eg by approaching questions of law and legitimacy through the prism of pending cases or on-going reform initiatives.

Based on 7 seminars of circa 2 hours each, to be delivered through a mix of classroom and online teaching. 

Please refer to generic LLM entry requirements http://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/law/#/entryrequirements 

None

Not applicable

Summative assessment through coursework (essay, 4000 words)

In the framework of the LLM in International Investment Law and Arbitration, this course is dedicated of a focused engagement with current issues and challenges. It contributes to attainments of the aims of the programme, viz.

for students to

1. extend their critical understanding and knowledge of the workings of contemporary international investment protection in its legal and political context with a view to applying this knowledge to solving specific investment-related disputes and engaging in debates about a reform of the law;

2. enhance and deepen their professional skills through undertaking problem-focused enquiries and critical analyses relating to the role and place of international law in (a) protecting companies engaged in cross-border investment, and (b) ensuring the necessary regulatory space for States in relation to investment activities

3. advance and improve their employability capacity as international lawyers by developing their legal research, writing, and communication skills

In addition, its particular aim is to

4. ensure familiarity with current debates in law and legal policy, and to ensure students are capable of applying their theoretical and conceptual knowledge to practical problems and challenges faced in international investment law and arbitration.

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By the end of this course students will have developed and demonstrated knowledge and understanding, skills and other attributes as described below.

Knowledge and Understanding

By the end of this course students will be able to:

1. apply theoretically-tested and practically sound approaches to the analysis of investment regulation and the resolution of investment-related disputes;

2. formulate sophisticated, historically contextualised, and critically-informed responses to pressing current challenges confronting international investment protection, and the various ethical and professional questions for the international legal profession and decision-makers involved in cross-border investment and its regulation.

Subject-specific/practical skills

By the end of this course students will be able to:

1. apply their knowledge of international investment law to concrete cases and situations;

2. identify and successfully articulate a range of policy responses and scenarios involving the interaction between State regulation, cross-border investment and international law;

3. effectively communicate research outcomes.

Intellectual skills

By the end of this course students will be able to

1. articulate a critical evaluation of the legal, institutional, and policy frameworks pertaining to international investment protection and its limits;

2. analyse and synthesise information from a number of primary and secondary legal sources to appreciate their relative value and to achieve a more critically-informed and policy-oriented knowledge and understanding of international investment law, its historical trends, and structure.

Transferable/key skills

By the end of this course students will be able to

1. communicate effectively in writing and orally;

2. take responsibility for their independent learning and continuing professional development;

3. work independently and in teams.

4. employ research and information literacy skills at an advanced level, notably using IT applications and a range of primary and secondary sources