Teaching and Researching International Law in Asia 2018

Asian societies have played a relatively minor role in the making of modern international law. If this historical condition is to change, if Asia is to become a `rule maker’ rather than `rule taker’, then it is imperative for Asian scholars and practitioners, officials and diplomats to be highly skilled, knowledgeable and expert in understanding and shaping a continuously changing international environment. It is crucial for Asia to engage with global debates and develop initiatives that enhance the international rule of law. The teaching and researching of international law are foundational to these projects.

And yet, despite the emergence of many international law societies within Asia, no sustained and united effort has been made recently to identify the challenges facing Asian law schools and to address them in an informed, coherent and collaborative manner. This conference on Teaching and Researching International Law in Asia is the first in many years to provide a forum where scholars from Asia and throughout the world can meet to discuss crucial questions, including teaching methods, materials for teaching international law in Asia, the development of skills, and the development of a research culture that fosters scholarship and publication. This conference will be the first in a series of events that explore these vital issues.

For the Junior Faculty Workshop and TRILA conference programmes, please click here.

20 June: Junior Faculty Workshop

The workshop is directed at exploring the challenges junior faculty members confront at the beginning of their careers in establishing themselves as teachers and in developing a scholarly agenda. The workshop will include a forum that will deal with topics including developing a research agenda, the relationship between teaching and scholarship, the elements of good scholarship, and preparing an article for publication.

For the profiles of Junior Faculty Workshop commentators and paper presenters, please click here.

21–22 June: Conference on Teaching and Researching International Law in Asia (TRILA)

The broad purposes of the conference are to assess the current state of teaching and research in international law in the Asia Pacific region, to identify commonly experienced challenges for teachers of international law, and to formulate a programme of  action and activities to assist individuals in their teaching and research. This conference follows in the footsteps of the successful conference held on the same topic in Singapore in 2001. It also complements the ongoing work of the Asian Society of International Law.

For the profiles of TRILA speakers and country experts, please click here.

Presentations by Speakers

R Venkata Rao, The Place of International Law in The School Curriculum
Ebrahim Afsah, Is there ‘Islamic International Law’ and Should it be Taught?
BS Chimni, Teaching and Research of International law in Asia: Some Reflections on the Way Forward
Mohammad Shahabuddin, Teaching and Researching International Law in Asia: Where are we now?
Joe Ng, Publishing with Cambridge
Joe Ng, Braving the Publishing Wilderness: 12 Tips to Publish Your First Academic Book
Nishara Mendis, Gender and International Law: Women and International Law
Tan Hsien-Li Teresa, Publishing with Asian JIL

Research Material

Please go to ‘Teaching and Researching International Law in Asia’ in this link for think pieces, course outlines, and previous conferences on teaching and research.

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