Course Descriptions
LAWS 2712 ILP: The Law of Oceans, Air and Space
CREDIT HOURS: 3
The governance of oceans, air and space is increasingly in the spotlight. The impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss, rising geopolitical tensions, and the advent of commercial space travel pose new and ever more complex challenges for the governance of areas of the globe and beyond that are in large part outside of national jurisdiction. The course will introduce students to the foundational treaties governing these domains, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, and the Outer Space Treaty and will discuss the efforts of the international community to deploy, adapt and developed these areas of law in response to pressing contemporary issues.
NOTES: This course is part of the International Environmental Law stream in the Queen’s/Dalhousie International Law Program (ILP), which takes place in Europe in May and June. The ILP combines an 8-week intensive academic program in international law with field study visits to law firms, international organizations, and international courts.
Dalhousie students earn nine credits for successfully completing the program, which can be counted towards 2L or 3L credit requirements. ILP courses do not count as major paper courses, nor do they count towards Certificate requirements. Grades earned through the ILP will not be included in a Dalhousie student’s overall weighted average for any purpose, including eligibility for scholarships or supplemental exams. Applications are usually due near the end of the Fall term, although late applications can sometimes be accepted. Tuition and fees are paid to Queen’s University.
There is an ILP information session held in the fall term at the Schulich School of Law each year. Students wishing to participate in this program must schedule an academic advising appointment with the office of the Associate Dean (Academic). Further details about the program can be found on the International Law Program website: https://law.queensu.ca/programs/jd/international-learning/bisc.
LAWS 2713 ILP: International Environmental and Climate Law
CREDIT HOURS: 3
International environmental law is a relatively young field of international law, but its task is monumental – to tackle the most existential challenges that humanity has ever faced, from biodiversity loss and plastics pollution to the escalating climate crisis. This course offers an overview of the legal frameworks that states have developed over the past decades to address these challenges, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Students will explore the foundational principles of international environmental law, delve into the dynamics of international environmental lawmaking, and critically assess the achievements and shortcomings of the international legal response to environmental problems.
NOTES: This course is part of the International Environmental Law stream in the Queen’s/Dalhousie International Law Program (ILP), which takes place in Europe in May and June. The ILP combines an 8-week intensive academic program in international law with field study visits to law firms, international organizations, and international courts.
Dalhousie students earn nine credits for successfully completing the program, which can be counted towards 2L or 3L credit requirements. ILP courses do not count as major paper courses, nor do they count towards Certificate requirements. Grades earned through the ILP will not be included in a Dalhousie student’s overall weighted average for any purpose, including eligibility for scholarships or supplemental exams. Applications are usually due near the end of the Fall term, although late applications can sometimes be accepted. Tuition and fees are paid to Queen’s University.
There is an ILP information session held in the fall term at the Schulich School of Law each year. Students wishing to participate in this program must schedule an academic advising appointment with the office of the Associate Dean (Academic). Further details about the program can be found on the International Law Program website:https://law.queensu.ca/programs/jd/international-learning/bisc.
LAWS 2800 Introduction to Environmental Law
CREDIT HOURS: 3
This course offers an introduction to environmental law for engineering students. The course considers environmental law at the international, federal, provincial and municipal levels of government, and the division of powers over the environment among these levels of government and indigenous governments. Students will be exposed to different approaches to regulating human activities and their impact on the environment, including environmental assessments, standards, approvals, and economic instruments. Criminal and civil law tools for enforcing environmental protection efforts will be explored. Finally, the course will consider emerging issues in environmental law, including indigenous rights, environmental rights, and corporate social responsibility. Evaluation will be by combination of assignments and final examination.
RESTRICTIONS: Restricted to Engineering Students
LAWS 3010 Graduate Seminar on Legal Education and Legal Scholarship
CREDIT HOURS: 1.5
This seminar is a required course for students in the LLM program. It is also open to PhD students. Its purpose is to explore various issues in legal education and legal research from a comparative perspective. The first part of the course is devoted to an examination of the purposes of legal education and the various ways that legal education is structured and carried out in different jurisdictions. The remainder of the course is spent examining different methodological and ideological approaches to legal research, with special emphasis on how each of the seminar participants would see his or her development as a legal scholar.Evaluation is via a number of components including, but not limited to, a research assignment, a position paper, class participation, a series of reaction papers and a “methodological prospectus” or "review essay" focusing on the student's area of research interest. The course begins in September and is completed by the end of February.
NOTES: Students taking this course must register in and complete
LAWS 3010 &
LAWS 3020 in consecutive terms; credit will not be granted if courses are not completed consecutively
LAWS 3020 Graduate Seminar on Legal Education and Legal Scholarship
CREDIT HOURS: 1.5
This seminar is a required course for students in the LLM program. It is also open to PhD students. Its purpose is to explore various issues in legal education and legal research from a comparative perspective. The first part of the course is devoted to an examination of the purposes of legal education and the various ways that legal education is structured and carried out in different jurisdictions. The remainder of the course is spent examining different methodological and ideological approaches to legal research, with special emphasis on how each of the seminar participants would see his or her development as a legal scholar.Evaluation is via a number of components including, but not limited to, a research assignment, a position paper, class participation, a series of reaction papers and a “methodological prospectus” or "review essay" focusing on the student's area of research interest. The course begins in September and is completed by the end of February.
NOTES: Students taking this course must register in and complete
LAWS 3010 &
LAWS 3020 in consecutive terms; credit will not be granted if courses are not completed consecutively