Law of Armed Conflict - LAWS8188
Faculty: Faculty of Law
School: Faculty of Law
Course Outline: See below
Campus: Sydney
Career: Postgraduate
Units of Credit: 6
EFTSL: 0.12500 (more info)
Indicative Contact Hours per Week: 2
Enrolment Requirements:
Pre-requisite: Academic Program must be 9200 or 9210 or 5740 or 9230 or 9240 or 5760 or 9281 or 5281 or 9211 or 5211 or 9285 or 5285 or 9220 or 5750.
Excluded: JURD7488
CSS Contribution Charge: 3 (more info)
Tuition Fee: See Tuition Fee Schedule
Further Information: See Class Timetable
View course information for previous years.
Description
One of the most important areas of international law is the law regulating recourse to and the use of force. It is a unique body of law comprising two separate and distinct bodies of rules: the jus ad bellum, which is the law governing the legality of the resort to force, and the jus in bello, which is the law regulating the conduct of hostilities. The jus in bello is also referred to as humanitarian law, the law of armed conflict, or the laws of war. The law of armed conflict is a body of rules that was developed to protect the most vulnerable groups during armed conflict and to mitigate the deleterious effects of the methods of warfare.
The course is designed to provide an overview of the fundamental principles of the law of armed conflict (or international humanitarian law). It will place international humanitarian law within public international law more generally, and delineate its relationship to other areas of international law (such as the international law of human rights). Specifically, the course will cover the principles and rules relating to the protection of individuals during armed conflict, as well as rules relating to the means and methods of warfare, including weapons issues. We will also explore issues relating to the implementation and international and national enforcement of international humanitarian law.
LLM Specialisations
Criminal Justice and Criminology.
Human Rights and Social Justice.
International Law.
Main Topics
The course is designed to provide an overview of the fundamental principles of the law of armed conflict (or international humanitarian law). It will place international humanitarian law within public international law more generally, and delineate its relationship to other areas of international law (such as the international law of human rights). Specifically, the course will cover the principles and rules relating to the protection of individuals during armed conflict, as well as rules relating to the means and methods of warfare, including weapons issues. We will also explore issues relating to the implementation and international and national enforcement of international humanitarian law.
LLM Specialisations
Criminal Justice and Criminology.
Human Rights and Social Justice.
International Law.
Main Topics
- History and scope of the law of armed conflict (including customary international humanitarian law)
- Types of conflict and thresholds of applicability of the law: (i) international conflict; (ii) non-international armed conflict; (iii) self-determination movements; (iv) internationalized armed conflict
- Law on the conduct of hostilities: (i) non-combatants; (ii) wounded, sick and shipwrecked; (iii) humanitarian personnel and the protective emblem; (iv) combatants and prisoners of war: status and treatment; (v) spies, mercenaries; (vi) methods of combat; (vii) means of combat; (viii) issues: nuclear weapons, arms control & disarmament, culture, environment
- The problem of terrorism and terrorists: status, rights, asymmetrical warfare, necessity, and assassination
- The law of occupation
- The relationship between human rights law & humanitarian law
- Implementation, responsibility and enforcement.
More information can be found on the Course Outline Website.
Study Levels
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