iCourts Excellence Programme (iEP) - International Law and Courts in a Global World

The iEP introduces key approaches to the understanding of international law and its role in the contemporary world. It helps you develop skills useful for a whole range of national and international careers and activities. Students who enroll in the iEP become iCourts Student Fellows and they are introduced to the dynamic research environment at iCourts, Denmark’s only centre of excellence in law.

Who can become an iCourts Student Fellow?

All students, Danish as well as foreign, enrolled at the BA and MA levels at the Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen, are eligible. Most iEP courses are taught in English. It is possible to take the iEP courses individually, but only students participating in a total of 45 ECTS courses in the iCourts portfolio, or in a total of 30 ECTS of such courses and who write their MA-thesis in iCourts, are eligible for the fellowship status and can obtain the certificate.

What Will You Study as an iCourts Student Fellow?

The iCourts Excellence Programme consists of a package totalling 45 ECTS MA and or BA courses directed by iCourts researchers (or of 30 ECTS such courses + an iCourts supervised MA thesis) which all deal with contemporary issues related to understanding international law and courts in a globalized world. iEP courses explore both doctrinal and interdisciplinary approaches and employ cutting-edge research methods to the study of law and courts.

For an updated list of present and future courses directed and taught by iCourts researchers, please click here (if link does not work, go to courses.ku.dk and write “iCourts” in the search word box to get an updated list of iCourts courses).

For examples of courses previously directed and taught by iCourts Researchers, see immediately below.

Examples of past iEP Courses

MA-level:

  • International Commercial Arbitration: The course acquaints students with normative framework and practice of International Commercial Arbitration, which is currently the most commercially significant method of alternative dispute resolution. It provides students with an extensive overview of relevant hard and soft law, case law and practical case studies in comparative perspective. Course Director (CD): Joanna Lam(joanna.lam@jur.ku.dk) (check whether course is still running here)
  • International Commercial Contracts: The course acquaints students with different aspects of contractual practice in international commerce, including problems of freedom of contract, applicable law, formation and validity of a contract, performance and liability; selected types of agreement are discussed in detail. Understanding of the demands of international business environment and interpersonal skills required for successful negotiations will be practiced along with such legal competences as drafting contracts, legal research, case analysis and formulation of oral and written opinions. CD: Joanna Lam (joanna.lam@jur.ku.dk) (check whether course is still running here)
  • International Human Rights Law: This class examines the international human rights system, including the framework of the United Nations, European, American and African regional human rights regimes, and a set of emerging systems of international human rights protection. The goal is to familiarize students with the institutional mechanisms and substantive provisions in force at the global and regional level to protect human rights. CD: Mikael Rask Madsen (mikael.madsen@jur.ku.dk) (check whether course is still running here)
  • International Investment Law: The course aims to acquaint students with the regime of international investment law in its legal, political and societal context. As a highly topical and contentious issue especially within the framework of new generation free trade instruments such as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), it seeks to introduce students to core discussions such as the main principles and rules on regulation of international investment law, interpretation of economic treaties, state responsibility, as well as current and emerging trends in international rule-making. CD: Günes Ünüvar (gunes.unuvar@jur.ku.dk) (check whether course is still running here)
  • International Law and the Individual: This course explores the contemporary role of the individual across the board of the international legal system and assesses what normative ‘re-nationalization’ will mean for the future relationship between international law and domestic law in general – and in particular for the legal protection of individuals. CD: Astrid Kjeldgaard-Pedersen (astrid.kjeldgaard-pedersen@jur.ku.dk) (check whether course is still running here)
  • Klar og overbevisende juridisk kommunikation (Clear and convincing legal communication): The goal of this course is twofold. First, the students are introduced to theories of law and language to make them aware of the multiple ways that language affects law. Second, based on the theories introduced during the course the students learn to analyse and produce legal texts of different genres and to criticize genre conventions when rhetorically ineffective. CD: Anne Lise Kjær (anne.lise.kjer@jur.ku.dk) (check whether course is still running here)
  • Legal, Criminological and Philosophical Perspectives on Mass Atrocities: This class equips students with a wider understanding of the phenomenon of mass atrocities and possible legal and quasi-legal responses to it. Besides a basic training in International criminal law, it introduces students to socio-empirical studies, criminological and philosophical theories of criminal justice in relation to collective violence. CD: Jakob v. H. Holtermann (jvhh@jur.ku.dk) (check whether course is still running here)
  • Qualitative and Quantitative Empirical Legal Methods: The course is designed to provide the students the opportunity to work hands-on with their own MA thesis research question and how to plan and execute an original empirical based project on interview, survey and data analyses techniques. As result, master students will learn how to frame the theoretical foundation of their research MA project, how to distinguish between methodologies, and how to identify and choose research methods relevant to their main subject(s) of research inquiry. Students will receive feedback on their own research design and its implications. CDs: Mikkel Jarle Christensen (mikkel.jarle.christensen@jur.ku.dk) (check whether course is still running here)

BA-level:

  • Empirical Research Methods in Law : The course offers an extensive review and training to students for conducting empirical legal research in their profession and BA projects. For that purpose, we will discuss the mainstream empirical legal methods (interviews, data analysis, surveys, among others) and their application across many topics and research questions connected with constitutional law, administrative law, European and International law, among others. In this regard, the students will undertake a critical assessment, and reflect upon the recent trend and challenges of incorporating empirical methods for the study of legal problems and its implications for the legal profession.CD: Mikkel J. Christensen (mikkel.jarle.christensen@jur.ku.dk) (check whether course is still running here)
  • Hvorfor Straf? [Why Punishment?] : The course (held in Danish) provides a thorough introduction to the central theories in the philosophy of punishment. Emphasis is on more recent research seen in relation to current problems in the legal field but theories will be contextualized in the light of intellectual history and the development of society. The course will focus on a number of dilemmas in relation to the central problem regarding the philosophical justification of punishment. CD: Jakob v. H. Holtermann (jvhh@jur.ku.dk) (check whether course is still running here)
  • International Dispute Resolution and International Courts: This course to provides students with an in-depth knowledge of the various challenges and opportunities that they will face once graduated from the Faculty of Law and thrown into the job market. The course examines the history, structure, functioning, market competition, career development, and other relevant topics (i.e., the role of lawyers in a globalized economy and digital society, the lawyer as an activist, just to name a few) concerning the legal profession in Denmark and other countries of the world (France,  Germany, United States, and England in particular). During the course, leading figures of the Danish and international legal field will be hosted to talk about their professional experiences. CD: Mikael Rask Madsen (mikael.madsen@jur.ku.dk) (check whether course is still running here)
  • International Human Rights Law: This class examines the international human rights system, including the framework of the United Nations, European, American and African regional human rights regimes, and a set of emerging systems of international human rights protection. The goal is to familiarize students with the institutional mechanisms and substantive provisions in force at the global and regional level to protect human rights. CD: Mikael Rask Madsen (mikael.madsen@jur.ku.dk) (check whether course is still running here)
  • International Sales Law: CD: Joanna Lam (joanna.lam@jur.ku.dk) (check whether course is still running here)
  • Law and Economics: This course is an introduction to Law and Economics, an influential and growing strand of legal scholarship. The course is designed to provide students with basic knowledge of the methodology of economic analysis of law. It presents the main ideas in the field, offers applications of economic analysis to both public law and private law doctrines, and discusses some of the criticisms against the Law and Economics literature. Students taking this course will be acquainted with some of the best and most famous Law and Economics papers. They will also learn the basics of conducting quantitative empirical research and some insights from game theory necessary for understanding the theoretical work in the field.CD: Shai Dothan (shai.dothan@jur.ku.dk) (check whether course is still running here)
  • Legal Scientific Theories, Methods and Writing: Students will be introduced to the latest theories and methods in the legal scholarship. As the exam of the course students will write their own academic paper. CD: Mikkel Jarle Christensen (mikkel.jarle.christensen@jur.ku.dk) (check whether course is still running here)
  • Retorisk argumentation (Rhetorical Argumentation): CD: Anne Lise Kjær Anne (anne.lise.kjer@jur.ku.dk) (check whether course is still running here)
  • Retsvidenskabelig forskning og skriftlig formidling [Legal research and writing]: CD: Mikkel Jarle Christensen (mikkel.jarle.christensen@jur.ku.dk) (check whether course is still running here)
  • The Legal Profession: This course provides students with an in-depth knowledge of the various challenges and opportunities that they will face once graduated from the Faculty of Law and thrown into the job market. The course examines the history, structure, functioning, market competition, career development, and other relevant topics (i.e., the role of lawyers in a globalized economy and digital society, the lawyer as an activist, just to name a few) concerning the legal profession in Denmark and other countries of the world (France, Germany, United States, and England in particular). During the course, leading figures of the Danish and international legal field will be hosted to talk about their professional experiences.CD: Mikael Rask Madsen (mikael.madsen@jur.ku.dk) & Salvatore Caserta (salvatore.caserta@jur.ku.dk) (check whether course is still running here)

Who Are the Teachers?

Teachers in the iEP are all expert researchers affiliated with iCourts – Centre of Excellence for International Courts. iCourts is a basic science research centre at the Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen. The centre brings together cutting-edge specialist knowledge in public international law, constitutional law, EU-law and other regional trade systems, human rights law, international criminal law, international investment and arbitration. The research combines approaches from law, philosophy, social science, political science, law and economics, and linguistics.

Students participating in the iEP will be given a unique opportunity to become part of the iCourt’s research environment. iCourts Student Fellows will be invited to attend our regular lunch seminars as well as conferences and symposia on timely questions relating to international law and courts in a globalized world. In addition, iCourts will host an annual workshop solely for iCourts Student Fellows on a topical theme.

What Career Can You Have?

Obtaining the iEP certificate will increase the chances of the graduates to be employed by government agencies, international courts, multinational corporations, academia, NGOs, and international organizations.

How to Sign up?

To join the iCourts Excellence Programme and become an iCourts Student Fellow all you need to do is sign up for an elect BA or MA course directed by an iCourts researcher. Please contact associate professor Jakob v. H. Holtermann (jvhh@jur.ku.dk) if you have any questions.