International Criminal Law
|
Module Code |
LA7051 |
|
ECTS weighting |
10 |
|
Semester/term taught |
2 |
|
Lecturer |
Dr Audrey Plan |
International criminal law is more than ever under scrutiny today. Decisions to prosecute or not prosecute, debates on the constitutive elements of different crimes, and proposals to create new regional or ad hoc criminal courts are the subject of public and academic discourse. This module aims to equip students with the expertise required to engage in these debates at a scholarly and practical level.
The module will include a historical contextualization of International Criminal Law; the institutions and jurisdictional architecture of international criminal justice today; rules of procedure and evidence before international criminal courts; the core international crimes and their elements; modes of individual criminal liability and grounds for excluding such responsibility; alternative forms of international criminal justice; and the relationship between international criminal law and domestic courts, including the principle of universal jurisdiction.
The module will rely on doctrinal analysis of sources, case law, and commentary of International Criminal Law, complemented by socio-legal scholarship contextualizing the role and impact of ICL on past and ongoing conflicts.
The module aims to provide a practically grounded, in-depth understanding of International Criminal Law, in both its institutional and substantive components. Students will acquire the tools to engage with international criminal case law from multiple national and international jurisdictions and develop the analytical tools to apply ICL to contemporary cases. They will be able to critically engage with both doctrinal and normative debates on International criminal justice today.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students should be able to:
- Explain the historical development, sources, and objectives of international criminal law.
- Navigate the institutional and procedural architecture of international criminal justice today: institutions, relevant actors and their respective roles, and limitations.
- Identify and describe in detail the different categories and constitutive elements of core international crimes.
- Analyse critically the case law of the International Criminal Court and other criminal tribunals, in light of different doctrinal debates and the evolving international context.
Contribute effectively to ongoing debates on potential developments and reforms in ICL.
Assessment
- 75% Research paper (word count 4,500 words)
- 25% Class simulation