Postgraduate Module Descriptor

LAWM097: International Law of Armed Conflict

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

Module Aims

The aim of this course is to provide you with a detailed understanding of the core concepts, principles and rules of the law of armed conflict, in particular those governing land warfare, and to introduce you to some of its contemporary challenges. In doing so, the course attempts to shed light on how the law of armed conflict seeks to balance considerations of military necessity and the inevitability of war on the one hand with humanitarian values and the need to limit human suffering on the other hand.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here - you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills	1. demonstrate detailed knowledge of the core concepts, principles and rules of the law of armed conflict with a particular emphasis on the rules applicable to land warfare; 2. demonstrate critical understanding of the practical and conceptual challenges arising in the implementation of the law of armed conflict;
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. demonstrate flexible and innovative ability to develop, apply and critically assess international legal arguments, using a wide range of appropriate primary materials and advanced scholarship; 4. select, integrate, evaluate and present relevant law and complex legal arguments, clearly, autonomously and competently;
Personal and Key Skills	5. manage relevant learning resources and complex information confidently and independently, and to develop own arguments and opinions at a very high level; 6. communicate and engage in debate effectively and accurately; 7. work independently, within a limited time frame, to complete a specified task.

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 assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Essay	1,000 words	1-7	Individual feedback from the module convenor
Individual seminar presentation	15 minutes	1-7	Individual and collective oral feedback from the module convenor and peers

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.

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
50	50	0

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

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Essay	50	2,000 words	1-7	Written with percentage grade
Examination	50	2 hours	1-7	Written with percentage grade
	0
	0
	0
	0
	0

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 assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Essay	Written essay (2,000 words)	1-7	August/September re-assessment period
Examination	Examination (2 hours)	1-7	August/September re-assessment period

Indicative Reading List

This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.

D. Fleck (ed), The Handbook of Humanitarian Law in Armed Conflicts (3^rd edn, 2013)

Y. Dinstein, The Conduct of Hostilities under the Law of International Armed Conflict (3^rd edn, 2016)

E. Crawford and A. Pert, International Humanitarian Law (2^nd edn, 2020)

G. D. Solis, The Law of Armed Conflict: International Humanitarian Law in War (2^nd, 2016);

R. Kolb and R. Hyde, An Introduction to the International Law of Armed Conflicts (2008)

UK Ministry of Defence, The Manual on the Law of Armed Conflict (2004, OUP)