Contentieux international et exercices de plaidoiries

The entire course is organised around a series of international law moot court sessions. Students will be divided into small groups. During each session, each student will be required to represent the interests of a party to a dispute, on the basis of a fictitious case whose relevant facts will have been provided in advance. The work will be carried out collectively.

In accordance with the arrangements explained below, some students will be selected to represent ULB in four international competitions: the Jessup Moot Court Competition (in English), the ICC Moot Court Competition (in English), the Jean-Pictet Competition in International Humanitarian Law (in French), and the Charles-Rousseau International Law Moot Court Competition (in French).

It should be emphasised from the outset, however, that the learning objectives of the course apply to all students, including those who are not selected to represent ULB in any of these competitions.

The course has a twofold objective. First, it aims to enable students to acquire and develop a thorough command of general international law while, at the same time, allowing them to explore a more specific area in greater depth by focusing on complex practical cases drawn from various international law competitions. The subject matter of these cases therefore varies from year to year and from one competition to another. Second, the course aims to introduce students to the written and oral practice of legal argumentation. This rhetorical dimension is particularly important: it should enable future graduates to use their knowledge and skills effectively in concrete situations similar to those they are likely to encounter in their professional careers, including the persuasive oral presentation of a written report, the ability to answer questions relating to a specific case, and the capacity for synthesis and analysis.

Required and Corequired knowledge and skills

Knowledge of general international law.

Students are required to participate actively in the oral advocacy exercises. Four practical sessions are scheduled, during which students will present their oral arguments. Each student will receive personalised comments, advice and guidance from the course instructor. Participation does not consist merely in delivering a duly prepared oral argument: students must also answer questions put to them by the professors, who will act as judges or arbitrators, as appropriate. These exercises are designed to simulate the performance that will ultimately be required during the final assessment session.

Unless specific arrangements are required due to the nature of a particular competition, each student will be required to:

• submit a written memorial together with the other members of their team;
• present a final oral argument.

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

Olivier Corten, François Dubuisson, Vaios Koutroulis and Anne Lagerwall, A Critical Introduction to International Law, 2nd edition, Brussels, ed. of the University of Brussels, 2024, 573 p.

Bibliography and recommended reading vary depending in the case study of each group.

Course notes

• Université virtuelle

Contacts

Vaios Koutroulis : Vaios.Koutroulis@ulb.be
Mario Prost: Mario.Prost@ulb.be

Campus

Solbosch

Method(s) of evaluation

• Oral presentation
• Group work

Oral presentation

Group work

Each student receives a grade for the course based on the written memorial and the final oral argument submitted and presented, respectively, at the end of the course

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

The written memorial counts for 50% of the final grade (a collective grade awarded to the group), while the final oral argument counts for the remaining 50% (an individual grade).

Students selected for the Pictet Competition are assessed on the basis of the written submission to be prepared by the team as part of the selection process for participation in the competition (20% – collective grade) and role-playing exercises organised immediately before their departure for the competition (80% – individual grade).

Students who pass only one component of the course during the first examination session will retain the grade obtained for that component for the second examination session.

Language(s) of evaluation

• english
• french