Module LAWM097 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
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.
| 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. |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover all or some of the following topics:
- overview of the sources and development of the law of armed conflict
- material, geographical and temporal scope of application
- battlefield status and protection of persons
- military objectives
- means and methods of warfare
- precautions in attack
- detention during armed conflict.
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 36 | 264 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 33 | Weekly seminars (11 x 3 hours) |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 3 | Attendance at relevant events organised by the Exeter Centre for International Law |
| Guided Independent Study | 194 | Assigned reading |
| Guided Independent Study | 20 | Preparation of formative essay |
| Guided Independent Study | 40 | Preparation of summative essay |
| Guided Independent Study | 10 | Preparation of seminar presentation |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
International Committee of the Red Cross: http://www.icrc.org/
International Review of the Red Cross: http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/international-review/index.jsp
International Law Department, US Naval War College: http://www.usnwc.libguides.com/LOAC-IHL
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia: http://www.icty.org/
United Nations War Crimes Commission Law Reports of Trials of War Criminals (LRTWC): http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/Military_Law/law-reports-trials-war-criminals.html
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 (3rd edn, 2013)
Y. Dinstein, The Conduct of Hostilities under the Law of International Armed Conflict (3rd edn, 2016)
E. Crawford and A. Pert, International Humanitarian Law (2nd edn, 2020)
G. D. Solis, The Law of Armed Conflict: International Humanitarian Law in War (2nd, 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)
