Public international law (IL) is based on rules for relations among states (countries), as well as the human rights of people. It covers almost every aspect of human activity and is mainly studied by analysing legal cases and international agreements (treaties). The topics involve current events of world-wide importance. Students will learn the basic principles of IL and, using a student-led seminar format, will discuss the ways in which China interacts with the most important current issues in IL. They will also present group research papers on one discrete issue of their choice.