University of Essex

LW805-7-SP-CO:
International Criminal Law

The details

Year: 2023/24

Department: Essex Law School

Campus: Colchester Campus

Term: Spring

Level: Postgraduate: Level 7

Status: ReassessmentOnly

Start date: Monday 15 January 2024

End date: Friday 22 March 2024

Credits: 15

Last updated: 02 May 2023

Requisites for this module

Pre-requisites: (none)

Co-requisites: (none)

Pre and / or co-requisites: (none)

Prohibited modules: (none)

Key module (requisite for): LW809

Key module for

(none)

Module description

This module provides an in-depth overview of international criminal law, an increasingly significant part of public international law.

It highlights the interfaces between international criminal law and other branches of public international law, as well as international criminal law and domestic and transnational criminal law.

Students are introduced to foundational concepts and principles of international criminal law, along with the conceptual and practical significance of individual criminal responsibility, and the institutional framework and law of international criminal courts and tribunals. In addition to substantive law, such as genocide and crimes against humanity, the course will also cover the general principles of accountability along with defences and immunities.

The course also consider procedural capacity and the role of domestic courts in relation to the prosecution of international crimes, which involves questions of jurisdictional competence, extradition and surrender.

Module aims

1. Students will have acquired a good understanding of the foundational concepts and principles of international criminal law, including the international rules on domestic criminal jurisdiction, the phenomenon of individual criminal responsibility, and the international institutional framework in place with respect to the suppression of international crimes.
2. Students will obtain a clear understanding of generalist sources of public international law, which are applicable to crimes under international law.
3. Students will study the substantive law of international crimes, along with the general principles of international criminal law such as principles of accountability, and grounds excluding criminal liability
4. Students will understand the procedural aspects of the investigation and prosecution of international crimes, and the roles of key parties in proceedings.
5. Students will be able to develop their legal reasoning with respect to doctrine and practice of international criminal law.

Module learning outcomes

Module information

Indicative Syllabus:

1. Foundations of international criminal law
2. Modes of responsibility
3. Key Actors (Prosecution; Defence; Victims; States)
4. War Crimes and Aggression
5. Crimes Against Humanity
6. Genocide
7. National Implementation of International Criminal Law
8. Extradition and Surrender
9. Obstacles to Criminal Responsibility: Immunities and Selected Defences

Learning and teaching methods

This module is taught via weekly seminars. The reading materials are available on Moodle and can also be accessed by the TALIS reading list for this module. Students are expected to have read the compulsory readings ahead of seminar, to ensure interactivity and enliven to discussions.

Bibliography

Guilfoyle, D. (2016c) International criminal law. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Available at: https://www-oxfordlawtrove-com.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/view/10.1093/he/9780198728962.001.0001/he-9780198728962.
Cryer, R., Robinson, D. and Vasiliev, S. (2019c) An introduction to international criminal law and procedure. Fourth edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/399446.
Guilfoyle, D. (2016g) ‘The sources of international criminal law’, in International criminal law. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 3–27. Available at: https://www-oxfordlawtrove-com.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/view/10.1093/he/9780198728962.001.0001/he-9780198728962-chapter-1.
Guilfoyle, D. (2016f) ‘The prosecution of international crimes’, in International criminal law. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Available at: https://www-oxfordlawtrove-com.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/view/10.1093/he/9780198728962.001.0001/he-9780198728962-chapter-3.
Quincy Wright (1947) ‘The Law of the Nuremberg Trial’, The American Journal of International Law, 41, pp. 38–72. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2193853?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents.
George A. Finch (1947) ‘The Nuremberg Trial and International Law’, The American Journal of International Law, 41, pp. 20–37. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2193852?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents.
Vesselin, P. (2012) ‘Legality and Legitimacy of International Criminal Tribunals’, in Legality and legitimacy in global affairs. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Available at: https://doi-org.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199781577.003.0013.
Cryer, R., Robinson, D. and Vasiliev, S. (2019d) Introduction to International Criminal Law and Procedure. 4th Revised edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (Virtual Publishing). Available at: https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/9781108680455.
Guilfoyle, D. (2016d) International criminal law. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Available at: https://www-oxfordlawtrove-com.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/view/10.1093/he/9780198728962.001.0001/he-9780198728962.
Guilfoyle, D. (2016h) ‘War Crimes’, in International criminal law. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Available at: https://doi-org.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/10.1093/he/9780198728962.003.0008.
Van der Wilt, H. (2012) ‘War Crimes and the Requirement of a Nexus with an Armed Conflict’, Journal of International Criminal Justice, 10(5), pp. 1113–1128. Available at: https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/jicj10&i=1133.
International Criminal Court (2015) Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. Available at: https://www.icc-cpi.int/resource-library/Documents/RS-Eng.pdf.
ICTY, Prosecutor v. Tadic, Appeals Chamber, Judgment of 15 July 1999 (no date). Available at: https://www.icty.org/x/cases/tadic/acjug/en/tad-aj990715e.pdf.
Guilfoyle, D. (2016b) ‘Genocide’, in International criminal law. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 269–290. Available at: https://www.oxfordlawtrove.com/view/10.1093/he/9780198728962.001.0001/he-9780198728962-chapter-10.
O’Brien, M. (2018) ‘Defining Genocide’, 22, pp. 151–169. Available at: https://brill-com.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/view/journals/joup/22/1-4/article-p149_149.xml?rskey=PgXLBe&result=1.
OHCHR | Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (9AD). Available at: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CrimeOfGenocide.aspx.
‘Statute of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia’ (no date). Available at: https://www.icty.org/x/file/Legal%20Library/Statute/statute_sept09_en.pdf.
‘Statute of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda’ (no date). Available at: https://legal.un.org/avl/pdf/ha/ictr_EF.pdf.
‘Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court’ (no date b). Available at: https://www.icc-cpi.int/resource-library/Documents/RS-Eng.pdf.
‘ElementsOfCrimes - International Criminal Court’ (no date). Available at: https://www.icc-cpi.int/NR/rdonlyres/336923D8-A6AD-40EC-AD7B-45BF9DE73D56/0/ElementsOfCrimesEng.pdf.
‘Prosecutor v. Jean-Paul Akayesu, Case N° ICTR-96-4-T, Judgment, Trial Chamber I’ (2AD). Available at: https://ucr.irmct.org/LegalRef/CMSDocStore/Public/English/Judgement/NotIndexable/ICTR-96-04/MSC15217R0000619817.PDF.
Guilfoyle, D. (2016a) ‘Crimes against humanity’, in International criminal law. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Available at: https://www.oxfordlawtrove.com/view/10.1093/he/9780198728962.001.0001/he-9780198728962-chapter-9.
Guilfoyle, D. (2016e) ‘The elements of international crimes’, in International criminal law. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 183–196. Available at: https://www.oxfordlawtrove.com/view/10.1093/he/9780198728962.001.0001/he-9780198728962-chapter-7#.
Darryl Robinson (1999) ‘Defining “Crimes Against Humanity” at the Rome Conference’, The American Journal of International Law, 93, pp. 43–57. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2997955?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents.
Egon Schwelb (1946) ‘Crimes against Humanity’, British Year Book of International Law, 23, pp. 178–226. Available at: https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/byrint23&id=184&collection=journals&index=journals/byrint.
‘ICTY Statute’ (no date). Available at: https://www.icty.org/x/file/Legal%20Library/Statute/statute_sept09_en.pdf.
‘ICTR Statute’ (no date). Available at: https://legal.un.org/avl/pdf/ha/ictr_EF.pdf.

The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam	Description	Deadline	Coursework weighting
Coursework	LW805 Reassessment Essay		100%

Exam format definitions

Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework	Exam
100%	0%

Reassessment

Coursework	Exam
100%	0%

Module supervisor and teaching staff

Supervisor: Prof Carla Ferstman, email: cf16045@essex.ac.uk.

Teaching staff: dr Antonio Coco, Dr Carla Ferstman & Dr Clotilde Pegorier

Contact details: lawpgtadmin@essex.ac.uk

Availability

Available to incoming Essex Abroad / Exchange students: No

Available to Outside Option: No

Available to Audit: Yes

External examiner

No external examiner information available for this module.

Resources

Teaching materials: Available via Moodle

Lecture recording: Of 18 hours, 18 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).

Further information

Department website: Essex Law School

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Module Directory

LW805-7-SP-CO:International Criminal Law