part of oxford law faculty – a major centre for the study of international law for over 400 years
The Oxford Law Faculty has been a major centre for the study of international law for over 400 years. Although the Chichele Professorship of International Law was only established in 1859, the teaching of international law in Oxford dates back at least to 1587 when Alberico Gentili, the leading international law scholar and practitioner of his day, was appointed Regius Professor of Civil Law in Oxford. Previous holders of the Chichele Professorship of International Law include: Professor Vaughan Lowe QC, Professor Sir Ian Brownlie QC, Professor D.P. O’Connell, Professor Sir Humphrey Waldock QC and Professor James Brierly. More details of the history of international law in Oxford can be found in an extract from the Inaugural Lecture of Professor Vaughan Lowe, former Chichele Professor of Public International Law.
Today, Oxford has a distinguished group of international law scholars who research and teach across a diverse range of public international law areas. Although there continues to be emphasis on the study of general international law (the fundamental principles which underpin the international legal system), the teaching and research of international law in Oxford allows for specialisation in particular areas of international law.
International Law in Oxford benefits from deep connections with scholarship and teaching in other allied fields in the Faculty of Law, including human rights law, environmental law, and legal philosophy. The Institute for European and Comparative Law provides an institutional support for connections with comparative law and European law. The study of international law also has a central role in research programmes and graduate courses in other Centres and Institutes across the University: in particular, the Refugee Studies Centre, the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict, the Environmental Change Institute, and the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. In addition, the University is a major centre for the study of international relations, and international lawyers within the Faculty of Law work with colleagues in the Department of Politics and International Relations and with the University’s new Blavatnik School of Government, to enhance the connections with scholarship in public policy and international relations.
Public International Law is traditionally one of the most popular optional courses for finalists in the undergraduate BA in Jurisprudence.
The strength and depth of research and teaching in the Faculty are particularly reflected in the range of international law courses on the BCL (Bachelor of Civil Laws) and MJur (Magister Juris) graduate programmes.
The Faculty of Law also works with the Department of Continuing Education on provision of the part-time MSt in International Human Rights Law.
Oxford has a large and strong community of research students in Law, including the largest doctoral programme in Law in the English-speaking world. In this community, international law students form the largest subject group.
