JJUA55102U Laws of Armed Conflict: Rules, Principles, Context

Volume 2019/2020
Content

In the course of the seminar the students will be introduced to the core rules and principles of the laws of armed conflict and to some of the most important contemporary developments and challenges that are reshaping the law. Throughout, the seminar will focus on how the law responds to changes in warfare and to the emergence of new threats to state security, including global terrorism. To give a more comprehensive account of the challenges that face practitioners today, we will also consider issues usually seen as extrinsic to the laws of war, including issues relating to civil war and belligerent occupation.

 

Among the topics covered are

  • Principles of use of force
  • Conflict status and individual status
  • Targeting
  • War crimes
  • Command responsibility
  • Civil war
  • Belligerent occupation
  • Interface between laws of war and international humanitarian law
  • Virtual warfare (drones)
  • Legitimacy of warfare
Learning Outcome

The course aims to provide students with the analytical tools needed to

 

1) identify and critically reflect upon theoretical problems in the rules pertaining to war (laws of war and international humanitarian law) and

2) assess how these rules apply to a series of conflicts that fall outside their traditional scope.

Another learning objective of the course is to provide the students with an appreciation of the complex ways in which political change and technological developments impact the legal regulation of war.

The following textbook will be used:

Solis, Gary D., The Law of Armed Conflict. International Humanitarian Law in War (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016). 

 

Additional texts will be communicated at the beginning of the semester.  

By the end of the course, students are expected to have acquired the skills to analyze and propose reasoned arguments for complex theoretical problems relating to regulation of war. Moreover, they will have acquired an in-depth understanding of the way law, politics and technology interact in the regulation of war. The skills and competences which are required to succeed in the seminar will enable students to work in interdisciplinary contexts with theoretical analysis and problem solving relating to one of the most dynamic and controversial fields of law.
The course presupposes that the students have a basic knowledge of public international law, including laws of war and international humanitarian law. All readings are in English and class discussions will be conducted in English. Students must be able to read,
understand and speak English at a reasonable academic level. They are expected to attend and participate actively in seminars.
Seminars
Please note that this course is a part of a new comprehensive Advanced Programme in International Law and Crisis offered by the Centre for International Law, Conflict and Crisis (CILCC). The Advanced Programme consists of a package of four inter-related courses, which all deal with contemporary issues related to conflict and crisis from the perspective of international law. Students who sign up for the CILCC Advanced Programme will get a unique opportunity become an integral part of CILCC’s research environment.
Please see further: http:/​/​jura.ku.dk/​cilcc/​education/​international-law-crisis/​
The CILCC Advanced Programme is open to all Danish and foreign MA students at the Faculty of Law. While it is possible to take this course individually, only students completing at least three of the four courses in the CILCC Advanced Programme package will receive a document confirming their participation in the programme.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Preparation
  • 356,5
  • Seminar
  • 56
  • Total
  • 412,5
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
Credit
15 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination, 20 min.
Oral exam with preparation, 20 minutes
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
Exam period

Week 50, 2019 - Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

Re-exam

Week 5, 2020 - Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday