International law: online courses
This page provides an overview of massive open online courses (MOOCs) for all those interested in international law.
What is a massive open online course, you can read here.
Child Protection: Children's Rights in Theory and Practice
Course participants will consider the strategies, international laws, standards and resources required to protect children from violence, exploitation and neglect.
Duration: 16 weeks, 2–6 hours/week.
Language: English.
Provider: HarvardX – Harvard University; edX.
Course syllabus:
1. Every child has the right to protection.
2. Violence against children.
3. Children and the law.
4. A systems approach to child protection.
Children’s Human Rights – an Interdisciplinary Introduction
Successful international strategies and programs promoting children’s rights will be highlighted, as well as the role of key actors involved in international organizations working in this field.
Duration: 7 weeks.
Language: English; subtitles available in Russian.
Provider: University of Geneva; Coursera.
Course syllabus:
1. International standards and monitoring systems.
2. The history of children’s rights in the context of human rights.
3. Interdisciplinary children’s rights studies.
4. Juvenile justice.
5. Violence against children.
6. Children’s right to participation.
7. Children’s rights and global health.
This course is the third in a series of three exploring some of the main business aspects of European Union law. The course discusses how to compete on the internal European Union market and protect a company’s products, brands or invention.
Duration: 6 weeks, 15 hours (approximately).
Language: English; translations available.
Provider: Lund University; Coursera.
Course syllabus:
1. Trademarks as essential assets.
2. Defending patents.
3. Competition: illegal cooperation.
4. Competition: abuse of dominance and mergers.
5. Selling to the state and state aid.
6. Legal writing and argumentation (optional).
Other courses in the series: “European Business Law: Understanding the Fundamentals”, “Doing Business in Europe”.
Copyright for Educators & Librarians
This course is a professional development opportunity designed to provide a basic introduction to US copyright law and to empower teachers and librarians at all grade levels. Course participants will discover that the law is designed to help educators and librarians.
Course syllabus:
1.Welcome to copyright law.
2. A framework for thinking about copyright.
3. Owning rights.
4. Specific exceptions for teachers and librarians.
5. Understanding and using Fair Use.
Duration: 13 hours
Language: English; translations available.
Provider: Duke University, Emory University, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Coursera.
Flexible schedule
Cross-border road transport in EU law context
The course introduces students to the legal rules applicable to cross-border EU road transport and the issues revolving around EU employment law in the sector.
Duration: 26 hours, 3 weeks at 8 hours/week.
Language: English; automatic translations available.
Provider: Erasmus University Rotterdam; Coursera.
Course syllabus:
1. Introduction to the course and the topic.
2. EU fundamental freedoms in the light of cross-border road transport.
3. Private international law in the EU: competency and applicable law.
4. Posting of workers.
5. Social security coordination.
6. European social dialogue.
7. Final assignment: a sample case.
This course is the second in a series of three exploring some of the main business aspects of European Union law. The course provides learners with a sound knowledge base of European laws and regulations relevant to establishing and managing a company within the EU.
Duration: 6 weeks, 14 hours (approximately).
Language: English; translations available.
Provider: Lund University; Coursera.
Course syllabus:
1. Making business transactions.
2. Establishing a company.
3. Employing and working in Europe.
4. Paying taxes and complying with environmental standards.
5. Resolving cross-border disputes.
6. Case Clinic.
Other courses in the series: “European Business Law: Understanding the Fundamentals”, “Competing in Europe”.
European Business Law: Understanding the Fundamentals
This course is the first in a series of three that will provide students with an insight into European Business Law. In this course the students will examine the core structures and principles of the European Union as well as the main sources of law.
Duration: 6 weeks, 13 hours (approximately).
Language: English; translations available.
Provider: Lund University; Coursera.
Flexible schedule
Course syllabus:
1. Introduction to EU law.
2. Sources and method.
3. Fundamental principles.
4. Enforcement of EU law and judicial review.
5. The economic freedoms.
6. The external dimension.
Other courses in the series: “Doing Business in Europe”, “Competing in Europe”.
European Citizenship – Development, Scope, and Challenges
This course examines the development, the scope and the challenges of European Union citizenship. The participants will consider what rights and opportunities this supra- and transnational citizenship provides, and what are the challenges and dilemmas of the two-level citizenship – for individuals, for the member states and for the union.
Duration: 9 hours, 3 weeks at 3 hours/week.
Language: English; translations available.
Provider: University of Copenhagen et al.; Coursera.
Course syllabus:
1. The development and status of European citizenship.
2. EU citizenship for 'movers' and 'stayers'.
3. Challenges to European citizenship.
Human Rights for Open Societies
The course introduces the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the practice of the European Court of Human Rights.
Duration: 6 weeks, 2–3 hours/week.
Language: English; subtitles available in Russian.
Provider: Utrecht University; Coursera.
Course syllabus:
1. Introduction to the ECHR.
2. General principles.
3. Human rights and democracy.
4. Insiders and outsiders: non-discrimination, vulnerable groups, migrants and asylum seekers.
5. Freedom of expression and public protest.
6. Closure.
International Human Rights Law
This course provides an overview of how human rights are protected under international law, how and by whom such rights may be claimed, and what limitations and restrictions to rights are admissible.
Duration: self-paced.
Language: English.
Provider: Université catholique de Louvain; edX.
Course syllabus:
1. What are human rights?
2. To which situations do human rights apply?
3. When may human rights be restricted?
4. When must the state intervene to protect human rights?
5. How much must states do to fulfil human rights?
6. What is discrimination?
7. How are human rights protected at domestic level?
8. How are human rights protected at international level?
International Humanitarian Law
The participants of the course will learn how international law regulates armed conflicts, protects individuals in wartime and guarantees minimum compliance.
Duration: 12 weeks, 4–12 hours/week.
Language: English.
Provider: LouvainX – Catholic University of Louvain; edX.
Course syllabus:
1. Introduction to International Humanitarian Law.
2. Sources and subjects.
3. Scope of application.
4. Conduct of hostilities.
5. Protection of persons.
6. State responsibility.
7. Individual responsibility.
International Humanitarian Law in Theory and Practice
The course will give you a deep insight into the rules that govern armed conflict, and aim to mitigate human suffering on the battlefield.
Duration: 18 hours; 3 weeks at 6 hours/week.
Language: English; translations available.
Provider: Leiden University; Coursera.
Course syllabus:
1. Introduction to International Humanitarian Law.
2. Conflict classification.
3. Conduct of hostilities.
4. Protection of persons.
5. Implementation and enforcement.
The course introduces the features and dynamics of an important field of international law that grants rights to foreign investors to foster States’ development.
Duration: 10 weeks, 6–8 hours/week.
Language: English.
Provider: LouvainX – Catholic University of Louvain; edX.
Course syllabus:
1. The history of international investment law.
2. The standards of treatment.
3. The protection against illegal expropriations.
4. Investor-state arbitration: institutional and procedural aspects.
5. Investor-state arbitration: interpretation, applicable law and State responsibility.
6. The future of international investment law.
The course introduces the most important international standards. Participants will learn about the specifics of protecting labour rights as human rights, the history and future of the International Labour Organization, and will analyse the concept of corporate social responsibility.
Duration: 7 weeks, 2–3 hours/week.
Languages: Russian, English.
Provider: Saint Petersburg State University; Coursera.
Course syllabus:
1. General part: the subject, system and sources of international labour law.
2. Instruments and activities of the International Labour Organization.
3. The critical assessment of the ILO's one hundred years quest for social justice.
4. International and regional human rights instruments as sources of international labour law.
5. The relevance of the European Convention on Human Rights to labour rights protection.
6. International labour standards and responsibilities of corporate actors.
7. The efficiency of international labour standards.
International Labour Standards: How to Use Them
This course provides knowledge and practical skills for using international labour standards to promote and defend worker’s rights worldwide.
Duration: self-paced.
Language: English.
Provider: Global Labour University, International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization; Iversity.
Course syllabus:
1. Introduction to international labour standards.
2. Supervision of international labour standards.
3. Freedom of association, collective bargaining and the right to strike.
Learn about the Law of the International Community, including how International Law is created, applied and upheld in today's world.
Duration: 12 weeks, 6–8 hours/week.
Language: English.
Provider: LouvainX – Catholic University of Louvain; edX.
Course syllabus:
1. Introducing international law.
2. Setting the International Law Stage.
3–4. Making international law.
5. Applying international law.
6. Claiming responsibility.
7. Seeking justice.
8. Upholding peace.
International Law in Action: the Arbitration of International Disputes
This course is the third in a series of courses on international law. It explores the major aspects of international arbitration as one of the most common method of international dispute settlement.
Duration: 11 hours; 3 weeks at 3 hours/week.
Language: English; translations available.
Provider: Leiden University; Coursera.
Course syllabus:
1. The history and general principles of international arbitration.
2. Arbitration and the law of the sea.
3. Investment arbitration.
4. State immunity and the enforcement & validity of international arbitral decision.
Other courses in the series: “International Law in Action: a Guide to the International Courts and Tribunals in The Hague”, “International Law in Action: Investigating and Prosecuting International Crimes”.
International Law in Action: a Guide to the International Courts and Tribunals in The Hague
This course explains the functions of international courts and tribunals present in The Hague, how these institutions address contemporary problems, and explores the potential to contribute to global justice.
Duration: 18 hours; 3 weeks at 6 hours/week.
Language: English; translations available.
Provider: Leiden University; Coursera.
Course syllabus:
1. An introduction to the international courts and tribunals in The Hague.
2. The International Court of Justice (ICJ).
3. The arbitration of international disputes.
4. International criminal courts and tribunals.
5. Conclusions of the three course themes.
Other courses in the series: "International Law in Action: Investigating and Prosecuting International Crimes", “International Law in Action: the Arbitration of International Disputes”.
International Law in Action: Investigating and Prosecuting International Crimes
This course is the second in a series of courses on international law. Participants will learn how international criminal justice functions, who the actors are, what outcomes it produces, and how it can be improved.
Duration: 17 hours; 3 weeks, 5 hours/week.
Language: English; translations available.
Provider: Leiden University; Coursera.
Course syllabus:
1. The international criminal justice system: core concepts and foundations.
2. The international criminal justice system: justice institutions and procedures.
3. Trying perpetrators.
4. Remedying wrong and look to the future.
Other courses in the series: "International Law in Action: a Guide to the International Courts and Tribunals in The Hague", “International Law in Action: the Arbitration of International Disputes”.
This course introduces the principles and legal standards that govern the use, sharing, management and protection of transboundary freshwaters, especially rivers, lakes and aquifers.
Duration: 10 hours; 3 weeks at 3 hours/week.
Language: English; subtitled translations available.
Provider: University of Geneva; Coursera.
Course syllabus:
1. Introduction to international water law.
2. The evolution of the international regulation on fresh water resources.
3–4. The principles of the law on transboundary water resources.
5. Prevention and resolution of water-related disputes.
Introduction to Environmental Law and Policy
Environmental law may be the one institution standing between us and planetary exhaustion. It is also an institution that needs to be reconciled with human liberty and economic aspirations. This course considers these issues and provides a tour though existing legal regimes governing pollution, water law, endangered species, toxic substances, environmental impact analyses, and environmental risk.
Course syllabus:
1. Common-law approaches to environmental problems.
2. Property and the environment.
3. Two famous statutory programs: environmental impact analysis and endangered species protection.
4. Risk analysis and tocix substances: pesticides, trade disputes over synthetic hormones, and the cleanup of the contaminated sites.
5. Environmental justice, water pollution, claims to a human right to drinking water, fracking, and insights from an economic model of regulatory cost-effectiveness.
6. Pollution, climate change and course conclusion.
7. (Optional) Research exercise.
Duration: 14 hours; 3 weeks at 4 hours/week.
Language: English; translations available.
Provider: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Coursera.
Flexible schedule
Introduction to International Criminal Law
The course educates students about the fundamentals of international criminal law and policy.
Duration: 12 hours, 3 weeks at 4 hours/week.
Language: English; translations available.
Provider: Case Western Reserve University; Coursera.
Flexible schedule
Course syllabus:
1. Introduction.
2. Peace versus justice.
3. Terrorism and piracy.
4. Unique modes of liability.
5. Specialized defenses.
6. Gaining custody of the accused.
7. Pre-trial issues.
8. Maintaining control of the courtroom.
This course places a strong focus on the European legal framework, which bases its privacy protection on seminal human rights treaties such as the UN Declaration on Human Rights. You will gain insights into the historical context that shaped Europe's approach to privacy, beginning with economic cooperation initiatives, and how this cooperative framework expanded to address issues of the protection of individual privacy.
Duration: 18 hours, 3 weeks at 6 hours/week.
Language: English; automatic translations available.
Provider: EIT Digital - European Institute of Innovation and Technology; Coursera.
Course syllabus:
1. Human rights and economic cooperation in Europe.
2. European legal system.
3. Case law.
4. GDPR main elements.
5. Individual rights.
6. Additional reading.
7. Examination.
After showing a number of examples, this course provides you with a historic introduction, and varying privacy-related cases and court decisions. It will guide you through the cultural and legal changes in perception of privacy over time.
Duration: 7 hours, 3 weeks at 2 hours/week.
Language: English; automatic translations available.
Provider: EIT Digital - European Institute of Innovation and Technology; Coursera.
Course syllabus:
1. Introduction.
2. A historic perspective.
3. Expert view.
4. History communality.
5. 19th century specialized international treaties.
6. International cooperation and human rights.
7. Last three decades.
8. Examination.
Rethinking International Tax Law
This course explains the foundations and practice of international tax law as well as current developments and the ethical aspects of tax planning.
Duration: 6 weeks, 4–12 hours/week.
Language: English; subtitles available in Russian.
Provider: Leiden University, Coursera.
Course syllabus:
1. International tax planning – base case.
2. Design of corporate tax law systems.
3. Principles of international taxation and tax treaties.
4. Transfer pricing.
5. European Union law and fiscal state aid.
6. Tax planning and ethical dimensions.
Rule of Law and Democracy in Europe
In this course, an interdisciplinary team of experts will discuss what democracy and the rule of law mean in Europe, how these principles are put into practice, and how they can be defended against backsliding.What you'll learn
• Acquire a general understanding of the EU, its fundamental values and its main institutions;
• Familiarize yourself with the concepts of democracy and the rule of law, what they mean in a national and in an EU context, how they have evolved over time and which challenges and threats they are currently facing;
• Understand which institutions are responsible to promote, uphold, and put democracy and the rule of law into practice and which tools they have at their disposal to effectively prevent or tackle the erosion of these values;
• Familiarize yourself with the main challenges for democracy and the rule of law in some of the key EU policy areas, such as trade, migration and public health emergencies (COVID-19).
Institution: KULeuvenX – Catholic University of Leuven; edX.
Duration: 8 weeks, 2-3 hours per week
Language: English
