Home>Academics>Master Programs>Sciences Po Law School Clinic>Capstone course international law in action
Capstone course international law in action
Course Description
Lecturers:
- Dr. Sharon Weill, Associate Professor of International Law at The American University of Paris, Adjunct Faculty at Sciences Po
- Dr. Omer Shatz, Human Rights Lawyer, Adjunct Faculty at Sciences Po
International Law in Action is a selective one-year long course offered to students registered in PSIA's Human Rights in Humanitarian Action program.
The Capstone course aims to provide innovative legal education and training through practical work related to armed conflicts, transnational migration, counter-terrorism and accountability for international crimes.
The main goals are to:
- Provide students with research skills through applied work on concrete case studies, in collaboration with international legal professionals and institutions.
- Use innovative methodologies based on legal analysis and empirical field research, including trial observations, data collection, forensic investigations, and interviews.
- Familiarize students with relevant legal institutions at the national and global level (ICRC, UN treaty bodies and special procedures, ICC…).
- Produce a final working paper/report/case study that will be submitted and/or presented to relevant professional partners, providing the students with an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution in the domain of human rights.
The teaching methodology combines theoretical and practical aspects. During the first semester, the course provides a theoretical overview of the relevant legal frameworks: International Law and the Use of Force, International Humanitarian Law, International Human Rights and Refugee Law, and International Criminal Law. The normative discussion of the international legal order is politically contextualised and includes the mapping of the competent institutions and sources.
The second semester provides students with an opportunity to engage in practical legal research, fieldwork, or international strategic litigation. Over the course of this semester, the class is typically divided into two working groups, each pursuing their own legal clinical project.
Prerequisites
- language skills: English C1 and French C1 (or Spanish and/or additional languages are an advantage)
- a legal background is recommended
To be considered for admission, students need to:
- attend an information session on Tuesday 3 June 2025 at 3pm (Paris time) (or review the recording) – dates for 2026 TBC;
- upload their CV and their cover letter in English or French by between Wednesday June 4 and Monday June 16 2025 (by noon Paris time) via the following form – dates for 2026 TBC;
The final selection will depend on needs for each project and on the balance within each team.
All applicants will be informed about the results of the selection by 1 July 2026.
Clinical works
Sharon Weill
French foreign fighters and judicial guarantees: Report prepared for the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of human rights while countering terrorism
Field trip to the United Nations and participation in the UPR of France (Geneva, January 2017).
In preparation for the official visit of the UN Special Rapporteur, Ms. Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, to France, students conducted research and prepared a report based on data collection, court observations, and interviews with defence lawyers and prosecutors.
Outcome: The report was submitted to the Special Rapporteur during her official visit to France in May 2018 and was cited in the Report of the Special Rapporteur to the UN Human Rights Council (March 2019).
Sharon Weill published an article in the International Review of the Red Cross (Cambridge University Press), which cites the students’ work.
This project was supported by Court Watch (Open Society Foundations).
Sharon Weill, in collaboration with UC Berkeley
The trial of Hissène Habré: an empirical study of the Extraordinary African Chambers in Dakar, Senegal
In a joint project with the Berkeley Center for Human Rights, University of California, students from the Capstone course and UC Berkeley participated in a field trip to Dakar, to the Hybrid Court where the former Chadian president was prosecuted for torture and crimes against humanity. They conducted interviews with various actors, including judges, prosecutors, defence lawyers, journalists, and NGO representatives.
Outcome: Contribution to the editing of the book The President on Trial: Prosecuting Hissène Habré, published by Oxford University Press (May 2020). A number of students served as assistant editors of the book.
This project was supported by the France-Berkeley Fund and the Matrix Foundation.
Sharon Weill and Omer Shatz
The Colombian Special Jurisdiction for Peace
What is the role of national jurisdictions in providing accountability for international crimes? Focusing on the peace process in Colombia as a case study, this project sought to better understand the function of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace tribunal following its first year of operation. The objective was to identify the main challenges faced by different legal actors and to assess its contribution to accountability. During a field trip to Bogotá, students met with various stakeholders involved in the transitional justice process and conducted interviews with judges, lawyers, NGOs, and journalists.
Outcome: Report presented and submitted to the FIDH’s American Desk in France, contributing to its work in Colombia.
Omer Shatz
EU migration policies in the Mediterranean and Libya
Over two academic years, students conducted factual and legal research on EU migration policies in the Mediterranean and Libya, to better understand why international law fails to protect the lives and rights of migrants.
Based on the evidence gathered and the legal analysis carried out by the students, the project resulted in the submission of a ground-breaking case to the International Criminal Court, seeking to hold EU and Member State officials accountable for their acts and omissions.
The filing of the 245-page brief sparked wide legal and political discussion on the application of international criminal law to transnational migration policies. The European Commission and European governments formally responded, and public hearings and conferences were held in the German Bundestag, the European Parliament, the Spanish Congress, as well as at various academic and policy institutions across Europe.
Outcome: Brief submitted by Dr. Omer Shatz and the Capstone course students.
Complement: Press coverage by The Guardian.
Sharon Weill
French asylum courts: proposals for reforms. Preparation of a report submitted to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in France
Students conducted trial observations and interviewed different actors involved in asylum proceedings in France (translators, lawyers, judges, NGOs), with the aim of preparing a report for UNHCR in France in which they proposed reforms.
Sharon Weill
The Bataclan trial: court observation and comparative analysis
Students observed the Bataclan trial at the Paris Criminal Court and analysed it from a comparative perspective with the 9/11 trial.
Outcome: A conference organized in April 2022 to explore how justice has been mobilized to combat terrorism from both national and global perspectives. . The video recording is available here.
Dr. Sharon Weill focused on the Bataclan trial to discuss what lessons can be drawn for the prosecution of mass crimes. She has been observing French terrorism trials since 2017 as part of a research group funded by the French Ministry of Justice (Mission Droit et Justice).
Dr. Anne Charbord, Senior Legal Adviser to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights while Countering Terrorism, situated the trial within the broader global legal architecture developed since 9/11. She presented the mandate of the Rapporteur and addressed key human rights concerns, drawing on her professional experience.
Omer Shatz
ICC case: incitement to genocide in Gaza
In this project, students worked on three innovative legal themes:
- in-depth legal research on the crime of incitement to genocide;
- a comparative analysis of the evidentiary standards governing the different stages of proceedings before the ICJ and the ICC;
- broader doctrinal research on the interplay between the enforcement of state and individual responsibility by the ICJ and the ICC.
Outcome: The project’s findings were formalized in the communication Communication to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court: Incitement to Genocide in Gaza, which was presented to the ICC Prosecutor during the 23rd Assembly of States Parties in The Hague. The communication requested the extension of the investigation into the situation in the State of Palestine to include the crime of incitement to genocide, inter alia to prevent or halt the potential commission of further genocidal acts and other ICC crimes.
Sharon Weill
French asylum courts: ethnographic research and report on the CNDA
Dr. Sharon Weill has been co-leading a research project on asylum courts, in collaboration with sociologists, historians, and legal scholars, with support from the Institut Robert Badinter (a collaboration with the French Ministry of Justice).
As part of this project, students from the Capstone course conducted ethnographic research and observed court proceedings, with a focus on interactions between judges, lawyers, interpreters, and the courtroom environment. In addition, students contributed to organizing workshops, conducting interviews with various actors, and assisting in the preparation of the final report.
Outcome: The report Justice d’asile : entre crise et routine de crise. Une ethnographie de la Cour nationale du droit d’asile is now available.