International Law
Information on study programme
Name of the study programme: | International Law |
Field of study: | 30. Law/ISCED-F 0421 Law |
Cycle/level of qualification: | third/ISCED 8 |
Academic title: | doctor (philosophiae doctor) (PhD.) |
Language: | Slovak, English |
Form of study: | full-time/part-time |
Code CRSP | |
Code PraF UK AIS2 | dMEP17/dMEPx17 |
Standard length of study: | three years (full-time)/four years (part-time) |
Method of study | attendance method |
Graduate profile and educational goals
Graduate of the doctoral studies in the international law study program master the scientific methods of basic and applied research in legal sciences, which serve as a basis for conducting research and development and creating new scientific knowledge in the field of law, while the graduate is focused on the legal branch of international law or combination with related legal branches, primarily the law of the European Union. In the given areas, he presents knowledge at the highest level, which is primarily represented by his publishing activity.
The graduate can analyze, synthesize and compare the legal institutes of the legal branch of international law, as well as related legal branches, with the aim of creating proposals de lege ferenda, in the interest of their more effective application in the legal order. He is able to use all basic scientific methods of research in his scientific work, while he is able to connect not only legal institutes of international law with each other, but also to think critically and interdisciplinary. At the same time, it can identify the growth of legal institutes implemented from the legal systems of the European Union states into the legal system of the Slovak Republic. The graduate also masters conceptual, analytical and synthesizing knowledge in the field of international law, with wide application in legal science and practice. With his personal scientific contribution, he is able to shape the further development of international law on a national and partly international scale. Applies acquired knowledge in practice with knowledge of choosing alternative conceptual or individual solutions.
The graduate applies his own findings of his theoretical analysis and his complex scientific research in solving problems in social relations at the national, EU and international level. Based on his outputs and findings, he can propose, verify and implement new scientific knowledge. Within the legal branch, international law is capable of identifying its shortcomings, proposing their solution by means of interpretation or law-making methods, and comparing the current state of knowledge in the legal branch of international law with the legal systems of other states. In a given context, the graduate presents the most advanced and specialized skills and techniques, including the ability to synthesize and evaluate, that are required to solve fundamental problems in the field of research and/or innovation and to extend and redefine existing knowledge or professional practices.
The graduate has independent critical and analytical thinking, which he applies in changing social conditions and is able to independently present the results of research and development in the field of law in the legal branch of international law, as well as in related legal branches, before the scientific and professional community in the Slovak Republic and abroad .
The graduate acquires the ability to work scientifically and pedagogically at the required methodological level in the field of law, in the legal branch of international law, as well as in related legal branches, on the basis of which he is ready to work qualifiedly within the pedagogical process at universities in the given fields.
The graduate acquires the ability to demonstrate considerable authority, innovation, independence, scientific and professional integrity, and assumes a permanent commitment to developing new ideas or practices. The components in question are primarily reflected in the graduate's ability to determine the focus of research and coordinate a team in the scientific field of international law, as well as in related legal branches, and in regular publication activity, the quality of which corresponds to the standards of the Internal System for Ensuring the Quality of Higher Education of the Comenius University in Bratislava (Internal regulation no. 23/2021), as well as the standard of Internal regulation no. 5/2021, which regulates the internal system of quality assurance of higher education under the conditions of the Comenius University in Bratislava, the Faculty of Law and the Standards for the Internal System of Quality Assurance of Higher Education of the Slovak Accreditation Agency for Higher Education (hereinafter all three documents will be referred to as "Quality Standards") and which the graduate presented during his doctoral studies.
The educational goals in the international law study program are achieved through the following measurable educational outputs in individual parts of the study program, which consists of a teaching part, a scientific part and a pedagogical part.
Teaching part - mainly teaching within profile subjects:
Methodology of science
Methodology of qualitative legal research
Within the above-mentioned subjects, it is ensured that the individual study programs of doctoral studies are strengthened in the study part in a common basis from the point of view of the methodology of science.
Within the Methodology of Science subject, student outputs are presented by the ability to formulate research hypotheses, by deepening skills in the application of methods of analysis and synthesis when writing scientific works, by complying with the requirements of the Quality Standards.
As part of the subject Methodology of qualitative legal research, the student will learn the method of qualitative research, which is in the context of determining the purpose and goals, the collection of data, the process of their analysis up to the writing of the final report, aimed at understanding and interpreting the meanings that the researching persons assigns to their experiences and perceptions . The goal is the search for causes and connections in the worlds of individuals and subsequent inductive prediction leading to answers to research questions.
Basics and application of legal education: methodology of the pedagogical process
By completing the subject, the student acquires core knowledge and relevant information, on the basis of which he is able to formulate the goals and content of their own pedagogical process. They control the organizational forms, didactic principles and teaching methods that are profiling for the pedagogical process, while they are capable of selecting them flexibly and correctly depending on the requirements of the pedagogical process, the taught subject and the target group. Based on their own knowledge, he identifies individual general and special requirements for the preparation of partial parts of the teaching process, emphasizing the specifics of teaching focused on legal education.
Preparation of a dissertation project on international law
By systematically preparing the dissertation project, the student not only learns, but also acquires the ability to apply the basic methods of scientific work and their use in their own research and scientific activity. Under the influence of regular logical and well-thought-out mentoring, which appropriately influences the entire process of project preparation, after completing the subject, the doctoral student is able to formulate basic scientific questions and scientific hypotheses, which are also the presumed result. The emphasis placed on the active component of research is determined by the student's own creative activity. The aforementioned process is finalized by the development of a dissertation project, in which, based on the previous scientific investigation of the issue and knowledge, he formulates and specifies the basic hypotheses, and at the same time creates a scientific platform for further research in the researched area. The project also includes elaborated sub-goals that condition the achievement of the main goal. The project does not lack discussion, as well as its results. The author's own attitudes and solutions arrived at are logically organized and sufficiently evaluated. At the same time, the student is able to comment on all facts and knowledge in confrontation with the results of research works of other authors or decisions of relevant authorities applying the law, mainly case law. After graduation, the doctoral student is able to present, argue partial results of scientific research and lead a scientific and professional discussion regarding the issue in question.
International public law - scientific aspects
The student will acquire in-depth knowledge of the subject of international public law, which will create good foundations for scientific work, prerequisites for the scientific formulation of a problem, presentation of results, development of the field of study and contribution to the practice of international public law.
Private international law - scientific aspects
The student acquires the methodology of scientific research in the field of private international law, including in the context of an interdisciplinary approach, is able to interpret the basic principles of private international law philosophically and legally as well as in application practice, includes the concept of a private law relationship of an international nature and the relevant legislation de lege lata as well as with options de lege ferenda. The graduate will also become familiar with the most current scientific problems of private international law, not only from the point of view of the Slovak legal order, but also the legal order of the European Union and international public law. At the same time, he will verify these abilities by comparing the selected institute, which is related to the topic of the dissertation, with other legal systems within the EU. After completing the subject, the student will also gain an orientation in foreign legislation and literature in the scope of the comparison made, he is able to evaluate the knowledge gained and submit possible proposals de lege ferenda.
International applied relations
After successful completion of the course, the student will have an in-depth orientation in international relations and international politics. He will master the historical development of international relations as well as the current issues of international relations. He will understand the broader context of international relations, which is necessary for orientation in the study field of international law. He will learn to professionally discuss current issues in the field of international relations, to clearly present and formulate his critical opinion on the issue and to hold his own in the discussion.
International civil process
The graduate will gain deeper knowledge about individual areas of regulation of international civil process - determination of international jurisdiction, status of foreigners in proceedings, or free movement of court decisions. Within the framework of the issue, the doctoral student is guided to independent work, the result of which should be the ability to name possible shortcomings of the civil process with a foreign element, as well as to formulate instructions for solving these shortcomings. Completion of the subject is the processing of a short scientific output focused on the specified field of regulation of the international civil process.
Methods of adjusting private law relations with a foreign element
The Student will gain deeper knowledge about the methods of adjustment of private law relations with a foreign element - primarily the collision method or the direct method, but also other adjustment methods, the importance of which is constantly increasing.
International and European human rights protection system
The student will acquire practical skills in the analysis and analysis of international legal documents for the protection of human rights, including their practical use and application.
Scientific part
The minimum scope of compulsory optional scientific activity results from the Directive of the Dean of Comenius University in Bratislava, Faculty of Law, which regulates the evaluation of selected scientific activities of university teachers, researchers and doctoral students at Comenius University in Bratislava, Faculty of Law (Internal Regulation No. 1/2018). Pursuant to Article 6(1) of Internal Regulation no. 1/2018 the faculty of law annually prepares an overall assessment of the scientific and professional activity of the persons listed in Art. 1, including doctoral students. During the evaluated period (1 calendar year), the doctoral student of the faculty of law is obliged to achieve an evaluation of at least 30 points for the publication activity in the case of a full-time doctoral student, and at least 20 points in the case of a part-time doctoral student. A full-time doctoral student must achieve at least 35 points in the overall evaluation for the evaluated period (1 calendar year). A doctoral student in an external form of study is obliged to achieve at least 25 points in the overall evaluation for the evaluated period (1 calendar year). The specific number of points for individual categories follows from Art. 2-5 of Internal Regulation no. 1/2018: https://www.flaw.uniba.sk/fileadmin/praf/O_fakulte/Dokumenty/VP_2018/VP_2018_01.pdf
The quality of the publication activity of doctoral students, especially in the context of the Quality Standards, is evaluated annually by the Council for the Quality of Science and Doctoral Studies of the Comenius University in Bratislava, Faculty of Law.
Pedagogical part
The doctoral student, at the beginning also under the supervision of their supervisor, applies and improves the skills in teaching that he previously acquired through their own observation in the mentioned subjects and within the profile subject Basics and application of legal education: methodology of the pedagogical process.
Employment of graduates
- assistant professors and scientific workers at universities and other scientific institutions
- judges of the supreme courts,
- senior staff of analytical departments at the highest courts, senior staff in central state administration bodies and in European structures
- advocacy (head of the work team)
Admission requirements and procedure
Required skills and requirements for admission to study:
Conditions for admission to study at the Comenius University in Bratislava, Faculty of Law, according to § 57 of Act no. 131/2002 Coll. on Higher Education Institutions and on Amendments to Certain Acts as amended and information pursuant to Art. 3 par. 5 of the rules of the admission procedure at the Comenius University in Bratislava (internal regulation No. 4/2021):
https://www.flaw.uniba.sk/fileadmin/praf/Studium/uchadzac/2022_2023/PhD_pravo_2022_23_V1.pdf
Procedures for admission to study:
Rules of the admission procedure at Comenius University (internal regulation 4/2021)
https://uniba.sk/fileadmin/ruk/legislativa/2021/Vp_2021_04.pdf
Recommended study plan and information sheets
FULL-TIME STUDY
Recommended study plan:
Information sheets:
PART-TIME STUDY
Recommended study plan:
Information sheets:
Study Programme Council
Members of the Study Programme Council:
Guarantor: | prof. JUDr. Ján Svák, DrSc. | VUPCH | VTČ |
| Co-guarantors: | prof. JUDr. PhDr. Miroslav Slašťan, PhD. | VUPCH | VTČ |
| doc. JUDr. Peter Lysina, PhD. | VUPCH | VTČ | |
doc. Mgr. Liudmyla Golovko, PhD. | VUPCH | VTČ | |
| doc. JUDr. Katarína Burdová, PhD. | VUPCH | VTČ | |
| Students: | Mgr. Petra Paľuchová | ||
| External member: | Mgr. Jana Vnuková – MZVEZ SR | ||
|
Documents
Meetings of the Study Program Council:
| Date: | Description: | Minutes (in Slovak): |
|---|---|---|
| 07.07.2022 | discussion of the graduate profile proposal | Minutes |
| 30.03.2023 | actualization of teachers | Minutes |
| 26.04.2023 | evaluation of the study programme for the year 2022/2023 | Minutes |
| 12.10.2023 | discussing and approving updates to curriculum descriptions and the internal evaluation report | Minutes |
Decisions:
Date: | Authority: | Decision: |
11.07.2022 | Accreditation Council of the CU, FLAW | |
19.08.2022 | Accreditation Council of the CU | |
| 02.02.2023 | Accreditation Council of the CU, FLAW | Decision |
Framework agreement on cooperation with an external educational institution: Agreement
Descriptions of study programs and internal evaluation reports:
Study program code CRŠ/PraF UK AIS2: | Document: |
183148/dMEP17 | |
183146/dMEPx17 | |
183147/dMEP17EN | |
183145/dMEPx17EN | |
dMEP17 |