Undergraduate Module Descriptor

LAW3146: International Law, Conflict and Strategy

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

Module Aims

The module draws on the research interests and expertise of the Law School and the Strategy and Security Institute to provide you with a unique insight into the interaction between international law and strategy. It allows you to study some of the most pressing contemporary legal and security dilemmas and thereby gain a detailed understanding of the rules of international conflict and security law and their application in practice.

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 a critical understanding of the key features of the international legal order and detailed knowledge of selected aspects of international conflict and security law; 2. demonstrate a critical understanding of the role that law plays in the international security environment and how strategic considerations shape the development and application of international law.
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. demonstrate a critical understanding of the role of law and legal argument as a constraining and enabling factor for political decision-making; 4. apply legal knowledge to complex problems and apply judgement when presented with competing policy imperatives; 5. select and process relevant information from a broad range of diverse primary and secondary materials.
Personal and Key Skills	6. prepare analytically compelling work with limited guidance that employs appropriate interpretative techniques and presents a nuanced line of argument; 7. engage in debate effectively and develop complex arguments and opinions with limited guidance; 8. demonstrate the ability to 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, including in response to current developments, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover all or some of the following topics. Some content may be delivered by visiting lecturers.

The Context: Law, Conflict and Strategy

foundations of public international law
foundations of strategy

I. The Use of Force

the rules governing the use of force
collective security and the United Nations
the Global War on Terror: from Afghanistan to ‘unwilling and unable’

II. The Conduct of Hostilities

the law of armed conflict
battlefield status and military objectives
precautions in attack and collateral damage

III. Current Challenges and Developments

cyber warfare, killer robots, artificial intelligence and drones
grey zone conflict
international criminal justice and its alternatives

Law, Conflict and Strategy: Some Lessons

a practical perspective
some conclusions

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
58	242	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 activities	46	23 x 2 hour Lectures
Scheduled learning and teaching activities	9	6 x 1.5 hour Workshops
Scheduled learning and teaching activities	3	Attendance at relevant Exeter Centre for Intenrational Law seminars
Guided independent study	150	Individual reading and lecture preparation
Guided independent study	32	Seminar preparation
Guided independent study	40	Summative assessment preparation
Guided independent study	20	Formative assessment preparation

Online Resources

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

http://www.exeter.ac.uk/ecil

@ExeterCIL

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.

Basic reading:

D. Patrikarakos, War in 140 Characters: How Social Media Is Reshaping Conflict in the Twenty-First Century (2017)

C. Ford and W. Williams (eds), Complex Battlespaces: The Law of Armed Conflict and the Dynamics of Modern Warfare (2019)

N. White and C. Henderson (eds), Research Handbook on International Conflict and Security Law (2013)

T. Farrell, Unwinnable: Britain’s War in Afghanistan, 2001–2014 (2017)

D. Kilcullen, Out of the Mountains: The Coming Age of the Urban Guerrilla (2015)

V. Lowe, International Law (2007)

D. Armstrong, ‎T. Farrell, ‎H. Lambert, International Law and International Relations (2012)