LW7143 - International Law and Armed Conflict

You will receive a mixture of lectures and seminars. Lectures introduce core principles and themes, and elucidate particular areas of difficulty or confusion. Seminars provide the opportunity to discuss the principles and themes in context, and to gain insights from the tutor and other students. Lectures and seminars are linked, so that each lecture functions as an initial presentation of key concepts which are then developed more fully in seminar reading and discussion. You will also learn through independent study and reading, guided by readings lists and material on the eLP.

As is always the case, the primary method of support for your learning is the knowledge of the staff who teach on the module, all of whom have extensive academic and practical experience in the field of international law and have published on the topic in the most important law journals in the world, and all of whom are available to help you with difficulties in understanding. In addition to this, a number of supplementary measures are also available. All lectures will be recorded and made available online to you to aid for repeated listening. The module will also make use of the eLearning site (Blackboard Ultra), where lecture materials, online reading lists, podcasts, and other learning support materials will be made available. The module site will also direct you to supplementary resources which you are encouraged to explore in addition to the material covered in lectures and workshops. There are also regular opportunities for you to receive feedback on your work in order to improve.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
By the end of the module you should be able to:

You will know the key principles and expert knowledge of the law relating to international law and its response to armed conflict

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:

• You will be able to analyse and apply your knowledge to complex legal and policy issues relating to international law (both criminal and humanitarian) and armed conflice.

• You will be able to critically evaluate source material, suggest alternative approaches to armed conflict protections and its application in practice and reflect on the application of your knowledge and that of others within practical real-world contexts.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):

• You will enhance your global awareness and develop an ability to conduct rigorous legal research relevant to global examples of armed conflict.

Formative assessment
There will be opportunities to practice problem scenario technique in most of the seminars.

Summative assessment
A 3000-word analysis of a scenario in which you will provide a ‘brief’.

Assessment Criteria and Grade-Related Criteria will be made available to you to support you in completing assessments. Grade-Related Descriptors are descriptions of the level of skills, knowledge and/or attributes that you need to demonstrate in order achieve a certain grade or mark in an assessment, providing a mechanism by which the quality of an assessment can be measured and placed within the overall set of marks.

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This module concerns the role of law in decisions to make war, and in the conduct of hostilities. As such, it surveys the international law concerning both the use of force (meaning when it is lawful to resort to armed conflict) and international humanitarian law (meaning what is lawful to do once armed conflict begins). Its emphasis is on modern practical examples and case studies, such as the 2018 missile strikes against Syria, the Arab-Israeli conflict and the occupation of Palestine, the Donbass War, and the ‘War on Terror’, with the aim being to allow you to understand how key concepts (such as self-defence, proportionality, and combatant status) are utilised in practice. Ultimately, you will gain an understanding of how international law attempts to prevent armed conflict, to ensure that conflict is carried out with the minimum level of harm to civilian life, and to attribute responsibility for breach.