Course coordinator
Professor Paul Harpur
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2026 (23/02/2026 - 20/06/2026)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Law School
This course will examine contemporary issues in public international and comparative law. Topics will vary from year to year, drawing on the innovative research of TC Beirne School of Law academic staff, as well as the expertise of visiting scholars and leading practitioners. Please refer to the Law School website for current topics.
A typical range of topics will include issues relating to comparative criminal law, international human rights law, European Union law, Islamic law, international organizations, South Pacific Law, and international disability law.
In Semester 1, 2026 the topic of LAWS7724 Current Issues in International Law (Public) is International Disability Law.
According to World Bank estimates, persons with disabilities represent approximately 15% of the global population—over one billion individuals. Within Australia, between 15% and 20% of Australians live with a disability, and almost 13% of higher education students in Australia (just over 200 thousand), report having a disability. Yet, prior to the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the globe’s largest minority group was largely excluded from international human rights protections (including UN treaty frameworks), global development initiatives such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and coordinated national law and policy programs. In most countries, disability-related measures were fragmented, limited to health or social welfare interventions.
This course introduces students to the transformative impact of the CRPD on both national and international laws and practices, and explores the opportunities these changes create for lawyers to drive meaningful reform. Beyond examining the development, implementation, and jurisprudence of the CRPD, the course analyzes its interaction with other treaties—such as those concerning the rights of children, women, and Indigenous peoples—as well as the emerging treaty on the rights of older persons. Additionally, the course investigates the extent to which the CRPD has influenced and reshaped diverse areas of international law, including international humanitarian law, international development (particularly the Sustainable Development Goals), and the work of key institutions such as the World Intellectual Property Organization and the World Health Organization.
Additionally, case studies will illustrate how international norms have cascaded into domestic courts and regulatory reforms in Australia.
Note that this course deals with distressing content. If you need any assistance navigating the various services available and don’t know where to start, please reach out to our Law School’s student support officer, Dony Rodriguez viaﾠlawlife@uq.edu.au.
Course requirements
Restrictions
Students in LLM 16 unit, LLM 24 unit, MIL and MIR/MIL only.
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Professor Paul Harpur
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
Course will be taught over eight (8) seminars, on Mondays,ﾠstarting at 1:00pm, on Weeks 3-9 and 11. Dates are between 9 Mar – 11 Mayﾠ2026. Seminars will finish on or before 4:00pm.ﾠ
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Each of the 8 seminars are 3 hours long.
Students are expected to engage with up to 1 hour of recorded material or written equivalent posted on Blackboard for each Seminar. This material may comprise recorded lectures, other video content, and audio files such as interviews or podcasts, articles, blogs, reports or book chapters.
Aims and outcomes
Education Mission Statement
The mission of the School of Law is to educate you in and about the law. We seek to assist you to think critically about the law and to investigate its structures, principles, policies, and values. This is achieved by engaging with you as fellow investigators in a range of critical and intellectual conversations about the law and its place in society. Our role is thus to guide you in your own intellectual journey in the law and to equip you with the necessary skills that will enable you to continue that journey long after you have left the School.
Course Aims
Current Issues in International Law (Public): International Disability Law is designed to give students a comprehensive and critical understanding of the challenges and opportunities to translate general international legal principles into practice. The course is interactive, and students are expected to prepare for and actively participate in class discussion and activities.ﾠThe course will improve students' abilities to research the law in context, deepen understanding and the ability to analyseﾠinternational and domestic legal materials, present ideas and develop cogent and effective legal responses. In particular, the course will aid in considering complex legal problems as well as the presentation of practical submissions related to specific legal problems. This will occur both orally in class discussions and in writing for the formal assessment tasks. It will equip students with the skills to think criticallyﾠabout adapting legal requirements into practical enforcement frameworks and in different international forums.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Critically analyse the international legal framework governing the rights of persons with disabilities, including the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and related instruments.
LO2.
Evaluate the role and influence of international bodies (e.g., UN CRPD Committee, World Bank, and WHO) in shaping disability-inclusive policies and legal norms globally.
LO3.
Interpret and apply principles of international disability law to complex, real-world scenarios, including cross-border and comparative contexts.
LO4.
Assess the interaction between international disability law and other areas of international law (e.g., human rights, development, trade), identifying synergies and tensions.
LO5.
Critique implementation challenges faced by States Parties, particularly in the Global South, and propose legally sound strategies for compliance and enforcement.
LO6.
Conduct independent, advanced legal research on international disability law, using authoritative sources and applying rigorous academic standards.
LO7.
Communicate sophisticated legal arguments effectively in written and oral form, demonstrating clarity, precision, and adherence to scholarly conventions.
LO8.
Reflect on ethical and policy dimensions of disability rights in international law, including issues of equality, participation, and intersectionality.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay/ Critique |
Research Assignment
|
50% - 3750 words |
20/04/2026 2:00 pm |
| Examination |
End-of-semester Examination
|
50% |
End of Semester Exam Period 6/06/2026 - 20/06/2026 |
Assessment details
Research Assignment
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique
- Weight
- 50% - 3750 words
- Due date
20/04/2026 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L06, L07
Task description
Coverage: Content from the first four seminars
Topic Selection: Students will be provided with suggested topics. Alternatively, students may propose their own topic, subject to approval by the Unit Coordinator.
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct .
To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT
Submission guidelines
Assignments must be submitted electronically in Word document via TurnItIn on 'Online Submission of Assignments' folder on the course Blackboard site.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Extension to Assessment Due Date
The maximum extension for an assessment item due within the semester / teaching period in which the course is offered is 7 days. In exceptional circumstances, an extension may be approved for a further 7 days. Where a student is incapacitated for a period longer than 14 days, they are advised to apply for removal of course.
A student may apply for an extension to assessment due date if they are unable to meet an assessment deadline due to extenuating circumstances. Please refer to the Applying for an extension page on my.UQ for further details on acceptable reasons for an extension and for instructions on how to apply. Additional information on extensions can be found within the Assessment Procedure.
Spoken or written notification of difficulties with assessment deadlines to a course coordinator or the School does not constitute an authorised extension.
A request for an extension to an assessment due date must be submitted through my.UQ as soon as it becomes evident that an extension is needed, but no later than one calendar day after the assessment task submission due date and time. Requests for extensions received after the application due date and time, must include evidence of the reason for the late request, and will require the decision maker listed in the Decision-Maker Tables in the Student Grievance Resolution Procedure to determine whether to accept the request for consideration.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Penalties for Late Submission
The following penalties apply to late submission of an assessment item, assuming that an extension has not been approved, and that late submission is academically possible (e.g., it does not delay feedback to a cohort, or interfere with course delivery).
First 7 periods of 24 hours (or part thereof) - 10% per 24 hours of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item. For example, a report worth a maximum of 40 marks, submitted 28 hours late will attract a penalty of 8 marks, calculated as 2 periods of 24 hours x 10% x 40 marks.
More than 7 periods of 24 hours - 100%.
End-of-semester Examination
- In-person
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Examination
- Weight
- 50%
- Due date
End of Semester Exam Period
6/06/2026 - 20/06/2026
- Other conditions
- Secure.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L08
Task description
This examination consists of two compulsory problem-based questions. All candidates are required to attempt both questions.
The exam will be conducted via Inspera Assessment. Inspera is a cloud based assessment platform providing additional functionality to complement the existing suite of digital learning tools at UQ. For more information about Inspera Assessment and to see what the interface looks like, please see https://elearning.uq.edu.au/student-guides-ultra/inspera-assessment-ultra-student and try out the Inspera demo test. Remember, Inspera is a university-wide platform, so there may be some question types in the demo test that are not relevant to your discipline. Further information will be provided in the Blackboard site during the semester, and a practice opportunity will be available.
This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Exam details
| Planning time | 10 minutes |
|---|---|
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Calculator options | No calculators permitted |
| Open/closed book | Open book examination - any written or printed material is permitted; material may be annotated |
| Exam platform | Inspera |
| Invigilation | Invigilated in person |
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to defer this exam.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 19 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 20 - 47 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 48 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Additional course grading information
Marking guides for assessments are provided on Blackboard.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
Seminar sheets and reading materials are included in the course materials.
Students will be directed to relevant resources (including treaties, legislation, cases, journal articles and book chapters) that are available digitally via the UQ Library catalogue and a reading list for the course.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 3 (09 Mar - 15 Mar) |
Seminar |
Seminar 1 Norms and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Introduction to competing notions of disability; the enthusing of “nothing about us without us” in the CRPD drafting and monitoring; treaty monitoring mechanisms. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L08 |
Week 4 (16 Mar - 22 Mar) |
Seminar |
Seminar 2 Intersectionality and education: disability and intersectionality- the interaction between the CRPD and human rights on children, Indigenous people, and women; a case study on education- K-12 through to tertiary. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L08 |
Week 5 (23 Mar - 29 Mar) |
Seminar |
Seminar 3 Development: Development verses human rights; The impact of the CRPD’s International Cooperation article; national development strategies; the World Bank and the Sustainable Development Goals – now and what next? Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L08 |
Week 6 (30 Mar - 05 Apr) |
Seminar |
Seminar 4 Health: universal right to health or a right to health services?; conflicts between the CRPD and global health norms; concurrence between the CRPD and the World Health Organization on social determinants of health and community-based-rehabilitation. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L08 |
Week 7 (13 Apr - 19 Apr) |
Seminar |
Seminar 5 Risk: Humanitarian law and disability human rights law; international norms on access to water, sanitation and hygiene; international climate change and disability. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L08 |
Week 8 (20 Apr - 26 Apr) |
Seminar |
Seminar 6 Deinstitutionalisation: Deinstitutionalisation – not just a change of address but a need to change society; institutionalisation, group homes and the Disability Royal Commission verses doing deinstitutionalisation without sufficient resourcing and community-wide inclusion; housing, social security, services and more. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L08 |
Week 9 (27 Apr - 03 May) |
Seminar |
Seminar 7 Realising legal capacity: access to courts and to justice; guardianship and denying the disability voice verses how to realize universal legal capacity; supported decision making and the role of the State, charities and families. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L08 |
Week 11 (11 May - 17 May) |
Seminar |
Seminar 8 Information: data, the interaction between disability rights to access information and global intellectual property laws; emerging technologies: rights to information communication technologies and artificial intelligence. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L08 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure
- AI for Assessment Guide
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.
School guidelines
Your school has additional guidelines you'll need to follow for this course: