Programme And Module Handbook
 
Course Details in 2026/27 Session


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Module Title LH International Criminal Law
SchoolBirmingham Law School
Department Law
Module Code 08 29960
Module Lead Robert Cryer
Level Honours Level
Credits 20
Semester Semester 2
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions Law students only
Exclusions
Description This course will deal with one of the most important, and controversial areas of contemporary international and criminal law, international crimes. In the past fifteen years, the subject has moved from being a largely-overlooked specialism to a major area of study, and of practical relevance. This course will cover both the institutions and substantive law applicable to international crimes to give a broad introduction to this fascinating area of study. We will begin by investigating what is meant by international criminal law, what is sources are and some of the appropriate frameworks of analysis to take to international criminal law. We will then move on to what can be considered the birth of modern international criminal law; the Nuremberg and Tokyo International Military Tribunals after the Second World War. There has been a lot of criticism made of the Military Tribunals. The validity of these arguments as well as the IMTs’ contribution to the development of International Criminal Law will be explored. We will then look at more modern international criminal tribunals, taking in the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY), International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) before turning to the ‘Internationalised’ Tribunals in Sierra Leone and Cambodia, and the permanent International Criminal Court (ICC).

Having investigated the institutions we will turn to the substantive criminal law applied by the international criminal tribunals (and national courts prosecuting international crimes), As a result, the course will cover the law relating to genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, as well as the general principles of liability that apply to international crimes, and the defences applicable to them. We will finish by looking at domestic prosecutions of international crimes and some of the alternative mechanisms for dealing with international crimes that have been used.
Learning Outcomes By the end of the module students should be able to:
  • Explain key aspects of international criminal law and the international criminal justice system
  • Summarise and comment upon the current academic and policy debates on the matters covered in the module.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness and appropriateness of the different mechanisms designed to achieve accountability
  • Bring together and present coherently materials from primary and secondary sources which deal with the issues addressed in the module.
  • Make a personal and reasoned judgements about the material covered in the module
Assessment 29960-01 : Take Home Exam : Exam (School Arranged) - Open Book (100%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions Assessments:
1x 2,000 word essay (25%)
1 x 4,000 word essay (75%)

Reassessment: This is a final year module
Other
Reading List