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This module looks at whether and how law can be ‘decolonized’, with a particular focus on international lawÌý

This module considers whether and how law can be ‘decolonized’, with a particular focus on international law, through a detailed consideration of, a) colonial and post-colonial history and theory, b) the application of post-colonial ideas to international law in particular, c) the substantive issues of redress and reparation for colonialism and other equivalent forms of domination, both in and of themselves, and the abuse and exploitation associated with them. Case studies considered include the ‘Rhodes must fall’ movement; the Caribbean campaign for reparations for slavery and the slave trade; the return of artefacts from museums, art galleries and universities; and various historical and ongoing situations around the world, from the German genocide of the Herero/Nama people and South Africa’s unlawful occupation of South West Africa/Namibia and the Mau Mau rebellion against the British in Kenya, to the situation of the Palestinian people, and the Sahrawi (the people of Western Sahara) today.ÌýÌýÌý

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•    To provide students with an informed, accurate, up-to-date and comprehensive treatment of the course topic.Ìý
•    To address the topic in an interdisciplinary fashion that draws on ideas from cognate fields to law.Ìý
•    To link and apply academic ideas to practical situations, and to their representation in popular culture and to the general public.Ìý
•    To follow and integrate treatment of contemporary developments on the topic.Ìý
•    To deliver the course in a manner that is highly innovative and interactive in terms of teaching methods and assessment modalities.  Ìý
In particular:Ìý
•    to integrate representations of different aspects of the course topic in popular culture and public media, and insights from those working on such aspects, throughout the course;Ìý
•    restrictions permitting, to engage in occasional field visits in London to sites and events relevant to the topic, and to integrate insights from these visits into the classroom discussions;Ìý
•    to provide a range of formative and summative assessments that enable accurate and fair treatment across students while incorporating a range of diverse options including activities that involve public engagement.Ìý

•    to contribute to UCL’s initiative to ‘liberate the curriculum’ as part of the broader global movement to ‘decolonize the curriculum’ (see /teaching-learning/research-based-education/liberat...)Ìý

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OutcomesÌý

A student who has successfully completed the module should:Ìý
•    be proficient, at a sophisticated level, in understanding and applying the relevant areas of international law, notably third world approaches to international law, and relevant cognate disciplinary approaches including political theory, notably post-colonial theory, and the history of colonialism and imperialism;Ìý
•    have a greater appreciation of the underlying issues of policy at stake on the topic, such as the question of intergenerational responsibilities, anti-racism and anti-imperialism, and how they mediate, and are mediated by, the legal framework;Ìý
•    have a more advanced ability to engage in critical analysis generally and critical analysis of law in particular, notably when it comes to the role of law in undergirding oppression and its emancipatory potential;Ìý
•    have a more sophisticated understanding of, and aptitude for, the law and relevant cognate disciplines in general;Ìý
•    be able to recall, and write in a sophisticated, informed, lucid and concise manner about, the ideas covered in the course;Ìý
•    be more ready to play a responsible and ethical role in society in general and the workplace in particular, by being equipped with relevant ideas, notably concerning combatting inequality, racism, and imperialism, and the ability to apply these ideas to practical situations and social interactions, and more generally being better able to engage in critical.Ìý