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Unit of Study JUST2002 - International Criminal Justice (2021)

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Unit Snapshot

  • Enrolment information

    International criminal law intersects with international law, international humanitarian law and some human rights law. Students may find prior familiarity of these courses an asset.

Unit description

Examines the historical roots of International Criminal Law and the rules of international individual criminal responsibility.  Students will study a number of International crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes using case studies to highlight the application of the facts to the law and the legal findings in a particular case.  The development and operation of the Nuremberg Tribunal and the structure and jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court will also be explored.

Unit content

Topic 1 - Introduction to International Criminal Law and its historical development prior to WWII

Topic 2 - International Prosecutions - from Nuremberg to the ad hoc tribunals and beyond

Topic 3 - The ICC

Topic 4 - Core international crimes - Part

  • genocide
  • crimes against humanity
  • GBV crimes

Topic 5 – Core International crimes – Part II

  • War crimes
  • Aggression

Topic 6 - Modes of liability

Topic 7 – Defences

Topic 8 - Victims and Witnesses

Topic 9 – National Prosecutions and Non – Prosecutorial alternatives

Topic 10 – The future of ICL

 

Availabilities

Not currently available in 2021

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

identify and outline the historical, social and political context of the events surrounding the crimes studied throughout this unit

demonstrate an awareness of the concept of individual international criminal responsibility and the rules of international criminal law

describe and analyse the main legal issues in respect of the international crimes studied during this unit

critically analyse the extent, consistency and adequacy of the international community's response to such crimes, and compare and contrast the variety of these responses

analyse the concept of a permanent International Criminal Court, and the various legal and non-legal issues surrounding its establishment

demonstrate an ability to conduct research in the field of international criminal justice, and enhance their skills in legal research, critical analysis and the written presentation of research and argument.

describe and analyse available legal defences under ICL