INSTRUCTOR: Dr. John Gamble-- office located in "Academic" 156.

MEETING TIMES & OFFICE HOURS: The class meets Tuesday, Thursday 9:30-10:45 in Turnbull 204.

My office hours are: Mon.: 3:00p-6:00p

Wed. 7:30a-9:30a, 1:00p-2:30p

Fri.: 9:00a-11:30a

Sat. 11:00a-1:00p

Other times are available by appointment. Walk-ins usually are OK, but please ask. Usually I am very easy to find. I am in my office most days including weekends from 7:00a onward. I shall have a few "crunch times" usually when manuscripts or proposals are due. If I am unable to keep office hours, for example because of meetings, leave a note and we shall find a mutually convenient time.

TELEPHONE & e-mail: 898-6291, leave a message on the answering machine if I am not there. I retrieve messages often. E-mail provides another way to reach me, often very quickly and efficiently. My address is: jkg2@psu.edu

Texts and Other Materials: Required text: Ray August, Public International Law (Prentice Hall, 1995).

Selecting books for a course like this is very difficult. It involves balancing a number of factors that often work at cross purposes, e.g., up-to-date, moderate cost, rigor, readability, and organization. The principal weakness of the August book is too much detail and too many cases, so much so that you may wonder how it all fits together. The book is expensive (sorry), but it does contain enough readings (cases and treaties) that you do not need a second book. And the print is very small. You must read it very carefully and in advance of class meetings.

Two periodicals, to which our library subscribes, are especially useful:

• American Journal of International Law, 1977-present. This is the leading scholarly journal in international law. It is an excellent source of current developments, court cases, and almost everything else.

• The UN Chronicle, 1959-present. This is the best source for anything relating to the UN, especially valuable for current information about the International Court of Justice.

I have an extensive personal library in international law. I shall lend you books as needed; this probably will occur principally in connection with your case and treaty papers.

Purpose and Rationale of the Course: The course is designed to introduce you to international law and international organizations and their role in the management of international conflict. Both the contributions and limitations of international law will be analyzed. International law will be discussed both as a body of norms that states feel an obligation to follow and as a means of communication among states. Further, you will be exposed to the characteristics of international legal thinking and writing.

Organization of the Course: Most classes will consist of lectures followed and/or accompanied by discussions. The lectures will provide a basic introduction to the major topics of public international law. You will be expected to participate actively in class discussions.

Evaluation:

General Expectations:

Regular class attendance is expected. If you miss many classes, you will be penalized doubly: (1) ignorance of the explanations provided in class and (2) by receiving a lower class participation and quiz grade. Academic dishonesty will be dealt with sternly with a probable penalty of failure in the course and a minimum penalty of a reduction of one full letter grade for the course. This does not mean that I think cheating is widespread. It does mean that I take a "zero tolerance" approach towards all forms of academic dishonesty. In recent years, I have encountered a number of cases where students seemed to believe footnoting is required only for direct quotations -- WRONG!

Graded Elements:

Your grade will be based on six items, the scheduling and point values of which are listed on the next page. The two tests and final examination will follow essentially the same format. They will be principally essay. However, since a grasp of factual information is essential to this course, you will encounter some short answer items, e.g., definitions, fill in the blank. It is entirely possible that my infamous B, SB, NW and W questions will rear their ugly heads. Early in the semester, each of you will begin a "case paper" and a "treaty paper." Each will be 2-4 pages (no less than 700 words nor more than 1200). For most of you, these papers, while short, will become "personal bests" in precision and attention to detail. As time permits, you may have the opportunity to discuss certain papers

in class. The final element of your grade is class participation and unannounced quizzes. Class participation has both quantitative and qualitative aspects.

Point values, interpretation, and scheduling of exams:

The exact dates of exams may vary slightly, but, in general, we shall follow the schedule. Make-up exams will be given only under extraordinary circumstances. You must make every effort to notify me before an exam you miss and you must make a request, in writing, for a make-up explaining why you deserve extraordinary treatment. Some of the exams may be open notes, open book, and/or take-home.

 

• test on Thurs., Sept. 24th	150 points
• treaty papers due Thurs., Oct. 8th	150 points
• case papers due Tues., Oct. 27th	150 points
• test on Tues., Nov. 17th	150 points
• class participation and unannounced quizzes	150 points
• final exam, as scheduled	250 points

A total of 1,000 possible points exists for the course. Grades fall within these ranges:

 

900 - 1000	A	700 - 799	C
800 - 899	B	600 - 699	D

Plus and minus grades will be assigned to reflect "natural breaks" in the grade distribution. Often, if grades run low, cut-off points will be adjusted down. For example, in Spring Semester, 1996, a score of 870 points (87%) was an "A-." In no case, will the cut-off points be shifted below the limits defined by the above ranges, for example, if you get 90% or above, you are assured some "flavor" of "A."

Week No. Date of Assignments and "Events"