Unit Outline

Some argue that war, of all human activity, is no place for law; any notion that law might regulate military conduct is naive and deluded. Although egregious violations of the law are common, international criminal courts and tribunals hold some of those most responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide to account. This has led to a surge in awareness of International Humanitarian Law and, some would argue, increased respect for this body of law. This unit explores the development and operation of two dynamic and interacting bodies of international law - international criminal and international humanitarian law. International Humanitarian Law (also known as the Law of War or the Law of Armed Conflict) is the body of international law which regulates the conduct of military hostilities - distinguishing between combatants and civilians, imposing limits on the targeting of military objectives, prohibiting the use of particular weapons and establishing minimum standards of treatment for prisoners of war and civilians affected by armed conflict. You will consider the historical development of International Humanitarian Law, its substantive rules, and its efficacy as a tempering influence on human suffering in armed conflict. You will also explore the contribution that International Criminal Law is making to increased awareness of and respect for the law, particularly through the conduct of war crimes trials.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1	Describe and explain the core features of the broad topic areas of International Humanitarian Law and International Criminal Law and how those two bodies of international law intersect
2	Identify, conceptualise and research International Humanitarian Law and International Criminal Law problems and issues
3	Contexutalise International Humanitarian Law and International Criminal Law in the broader policy, diplomatic, military and political contexts in which these bodies of law operate
4	Evaluate the efficacy of existing International Humanitarian Law and International Criminal Law, identify major challenges to both legal regimes, and assess options for law reform

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	Successful completion of LAW102 is required before enrolling in LAW277
Anti-requisite (mutual excl)	LAW623 and LAW677

Alterations as a result of student feedback

The Unit was last offered in 2023. Feedback indicated that students appreciated the involvement in the Unit by the 1st Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, but tha this online participation from his home in California was sub-optimal. In 2025, Prof Alex Whiting of Harvard Law School and formerly of the ICC in The Hague will join us in person for the final 5 sessions of the Unit.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Assessment Task 1: Video-recorded response to part of a judgement	See the MyLO site for the due date	10 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 2:	Assessment Task 3: Examination - Take Home	See the MyLO site for the due date	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Assessment Task 2: Research Paper	See the MyLO site for the due date	50 %	LO1, LO2, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Assessment Task 1: Video-recorded response to part of a judgement

Task Description:

n/a

The recorded video analysis of part of the Nuremberg Judgment will be worth 10% of your final grade in the Unit. Detailed instructions will be available in MyLo

Task Length:

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Video-recorded response	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment Task 2: Assessment Task 3: Examination - Take Home

Task Description:

Take home Exam: Individual Examination (formative & summative)

The examination will be worth 40% of the final grade in the Unit

Task Length:

2,000 words

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Take-home examination	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Academic progress review

The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.