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75752-01 - Seminar: International Law in the Digital Age: State Sovereignty, Cybersecurity, Human Rights, and Global/Regional Regulation Frameworks (3 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2025 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | |
| Content | The advent of the internet and digital technologies has revolutionized global interactions. While offering unprecedented opportunities, this poses complex challenges for international law. Issues such as transboundary data flows, the emergence of powerful non-state actors like digital platforms, and a rapidly evolving threat landscape encompassing cybercrime and cyberwarfare challenge traditional notions of territory and sovereignty rooted in the Westphalian system. This course explores how foundational principles of international law—ranging from jurisdiction and human rights to the prohibition of the use of force—are applied, and at times require recalibration, in the context of cyberspace. We will critically examine new regulatory frameworks at regional and international levels, including the EU’s leadership in regulating digital tools, private sector initiatives such as the Meta Oversight Board to uphold human rights online, and global efforts to govern and regulate artificial intelligence. Through these discussions, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the evolving role of international law in addressing the legal and policy challenges of the digital age. |
| Learning objectives | - To understand the main challenges digitality poses to international law; - To be familiar with the discussions about how general concepts and principles of international law can be transposed to cyberspace, including cyberwar; - To have an overview of the most relevant regulatory responses. |
| Bibliography | Nicholas Tsagourias/Russell Buchan (eds.), The Research Handbook on International Law and Cyberspace, 2nd ed., Cheltenham 2021. Tallin Manual 2.0 on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Operations, Cambridge 2017. Julie E. Cohen, Law for the Platform Economy, U.C. Davis L. Rev. 51 (2017), 133-204. Anu Bradford, Digital Empires. The Global Battle to Regulate Technology, Oxford 2023. |
| Weblink | Europainstitut |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Friday | 10.00-11.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 21.02.2025 | 10.00-11.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Friday 07.03.2025 | 10.00-17.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Friday 11.04.2025 | 10.00-17.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Seminarraum 00.022 |
| Friday 02.05.2025 | 10.00-17.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum -201 |
| Friday 16.05.2025 | 10.00-17.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Modules |
Module: Migration, Mobility and Transnationalism (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources) Specialization Module Global Europe: Globalized Trade and Business (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) Specialization Module Global Europe: International Organizations (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) Specialization Module Global Europe: Peace and Conflict Studies (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) Specialization Module Global Europe: Regional Integration and Global Flows (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) Specialization Module Global Europe: Statehood, Development and Globalization (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) Specialization module: International Law (Master's Studies: Law) Specialization module: International Law (Master's Studies: Law (bilingue)) Wahlbereich Master Rechtswissenschaft (EUCOR): Empfehlungen (Master's Studies: Law (Eucor)) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Oral presentation during the course and essay (max. 5 pages) |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | 1-6 0,5 |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | University of Basel |
| Offered by | Europainstitut |