1200 Words

Mid-Semester Assignment

The assignment requires you to write an essay which critically analyse the role of international law in relation to an important issue in international affairs involving Australia, and communicate key legal arguments on this issue. The assignment will expect students to primarily draw on material covered during weeks 1-8 inclusive of the unit. Each criterion is weighted equally. This assignment is due on Friday 8 September at 4pm and should be uploaded to the assessments section of MyLo.

Maximum word length is 1200 words which includes all words in the document including cover pages, headings, references, etc. The word limit does not include footnotes. Penalties apply for overlength work. The document is to be in Arial or Times New Roman, 12 font, 1.5 or double line spacing.

Referencing style does not need to follow AGLC referencing, but it must be possible for the reader to identify the source. It is sufficient if you refer to a shortened version of a case name plus page or paragraph number, or in the case of a treaty, the name of the treaty and the relevant article: e.g., Nicaragua case, (para 64), Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (art 2 (1)). Footnotes should not be used and the references should be in the body of the text.

In preparing to write your essay, you are encouraged to research by finding and reading 3-4 journal articles in relation to the issue that you select for analysis. This will assist in developing your legal research and critical thinking skills in regard to international law. A module on legal research skills has been created by the Law library and will be available in MyLo to assist.

A marking rubric will also be available in MyLo to give a guide as to the matters that will be taken account in grating your essay.

The Mid-semester Assignment is worth a maximum of 30 marks of the total marks available for this unit.

Essay Question:

Choose one of the following issues in international affairs and discuss the role international law played in Australias response to your chosen issue:

(1) French Nuclear Testing in the South Pacific;

(2) Japanese Whaling in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica; or

(3) Naurus claim that Australia exploited its super-phosphate resources without proper compensation

(4) Timor Lestes claim against Australia relating to seizure of certain documents and data relevant to a pending arbitration on the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty

Your essay should be roughly divided into four sections (each of about 300 words) that cover the following points:

A short summary of the key facts relating to this issue and why it was of importance to Australia;

A summary of the key rules and principles of international law relevant to this issue;

Explain how Australia used international law, or international law was used against Australia, in regard to this issue;

Analyse how international law affected the outcome of this issue in international affairs.