The course aims to provide knowledge of the fundamental concepts and the main institutions of international law as a system that regulates relations between States and other international subjects. It will highlight the peculiar characteristics of contemporary international law and its dynamics in the light of the historical evolution of the international community.
The objective is to give a key for understanding the framework of international legal relations, procedures and related mechanisms. This will be done through the study of the interactions of the relevant actors for the construction of the international legal order; and, among them, also through the study of the activity of the most important international organizations, such as the UN, the European Union and others, of their functions and their role in keeping peace, in promoting international cooperation for economic and social development and in protecting human rights.
The ultimate aim will be to highlight how international norms, elaborated by subjects such as States and addressed primarily to them, come to affect the life of peoples and individuals, clarifying the relationships between international law and state internal law, and examining in particular the relevant constitutional provisions of the Italian legal system.
The study of the various theories and essential concepts will be enriched by the examination of relevant cases and materials in international practice and the method used will aim at acquiring the necessary skills to identify and construe the principles applicable in the investigation of the phenomena of international legal life.
Conclusively, the expected final result will be the development of reasoning skills starting from the knowledge acquired in the subject, and also of the ability to deepen and research on particular aspects for a better learning of single issues; likewise, a more penetrating capacity for autonomous evaluation, even critical, of achieved outcomes and possible future perspectives is expected, as well as adequate communication skills with precise terminology and appropriate expository clarity.