Postgraduate Module Descriptor


LAWM114: Post-Conflict Governance, Rule of Law and Justice

This module descriptor refers to the 2017/8 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

  • Introduction to the concept of stabilisation operations and its legal underpinnings in post- crisis and transitional environments;
  • Safe and secure environment in integrated military-civil effort- legal challenges;
  • Rule of Law and post-conflict judiciary, law enforcement and prison administration;
  • Transitional justice and dealing with conflict- related crimes,
  • Right of return and post-conflict resettlement;
  • Stable governance: involving legal aspects of the creation and functioning of effective State institutions encompassing legislative, executive and judicial division of powers,
  • Going forward: regulation of free and responsible media, fair and independent elections and robust civil society;
  • Law and sustainable economy;
  • Vulnerable groups: legal protection of minorities; ensuring access to justice for women;
  • Role of international, regional and national organisations in advancement of rule of law, in peace building process and stabilisation effort.

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
33267

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity30Seminars (10 x 3 hours)
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity3Exercise: this activity will take place over two days and simulate a command post exercise to provide you with an opportunity to apply your knowledge in a practical setting.
Guided Independent Study24Preparation of seminar essay paper: for each seminar at least one student will research and write a paper on the seminar topic, presenting it to the rest of the group.
Guided Independent Study200Assigned seminar readings (including for the seminar paper).
Guided Independent Study40Preparation of the assessed/summative essay.
Guided Independent Study3Preparation for the exercise.

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

Lawfare (blog): https://www.lawfareblog.com/

Just Security (blog): https://www.justsecurity.org/

Opinio Juris (blog): http://opiniojuris.org/

How this Module is Assessed

In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.

Formative Assessment

A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Seminar essay forming the basis of a presentation to the group, which is formatively assessed and does not count towards the end-of-module summative assessment1,000 words1-7Individual written and collective oral feedback from the module convenor and the seminar group.
Individual oral seminar presentation to the seminar group on the basis of the seminar paper as prepared and submitted to the class15-30 minutes1-7Individual and collective oral feedback from the module convenor and the seminar group.
Individual and group work forming part of a simulated command post exercise1,000 words1-7Individual and collective oral feedback from the module convenor and the exercise participants.

Summative Assessment

A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
10000

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Written essay1007,500 words1-7Written with percentage grade

Re-assessment

Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
Written essayEssay (7,500 words)1-7August/September re-assessment period

Re-assessment notes

Students resubmitting their essay will have to choose a different topic and/or title from the essay(s) that they submitted originally.