Course syllabus Law of Armed Conflict - Intermediate Course

For admission to the course, besides basic eligibility for university studies, the course International Law in Crisis and Conflict - Basic Course, or equivalent.

The overall objective of the course is to gain an understanding of the area of international law that is specifically designed to regulate armed conflicts, interchangeably referred to as law of armed conflict, international humanitarian law or jus in bello. The course will begin with a discussion of the definition of the law of armed conflict, its historical evolution and place in contemporary international law and politics, its sources as well as its separation from the law regulating the use of force (jus ad bellum). The course proceeds with the applicability of the law of armed conflict, followed by an in-depth discussion of the principles permeating the law of armed conflict and a discussion of the relationship between the law of armed conflict and international human rights law.

The final section considers the means that are available for the implementation and enforcement of the law of armed conflict. This latter part also introduces students to some aspects that are covered in more depth in the B-level course on international responsibility.

Course structure:
1. Introduction
2. Applicability of the Law of Armed Conflict
3. Principles of the Law of Armed Conflict
4. Relationship Law of Armed Conflict and Human Rights Law
5. Implementation and Enforcement of the Law of Armed Conflict
6. Conclusion & Exam

Type of Instruction

• Seminars
• For each part of the course the substance is initially introduced by lectures and is concluded with a mandatory seminar. Students will prepare a task for each seminar, either individually or in groups, and will present their answers orally or in writing. The course ends with a written exam.

After completed course the student should be able to:

• Identify and describe, both verbally and in writing, elements of the law of armed conflict.
• Apply the law of armed conflict to concrete cases and orally argue for different international legal solutions;
• Independently and together with others solve complex problems in the field of the law of armed conflict.
• Present a solution to selected issues relevant to the law of armed conflict.
• Independent critical reasoning about the law of armed conflict.
• Orally and in writing the background to the emergence of the rules of the law of armed conflict.
• Be able to describe and explain notions of the law of armed conflict and present coherent legal arguments for each topic studied.

Written exam 7,5 credits
The written exam is an individual, open book exam, conducted at FHS under supervision.

Mandatory seminars 7,5 credits
The graded seminars account for 7.5 credits. They are mandatory and require active participation. The final exam constitutes 7.5 credits.

General guidelines for the course are specified below:

• Students will be assessed against the grading criteria provided in writing below, at the beginning of the course and each section.
• The teacher will determine if each student has fulfilled the requirement of active participation, as a means to ensure that students participate in the discussions and can verbally relate to the current theme.
• A student who misses more than one compulsory part cannot as a rule pass the course. In exceptional cases, due to events beyond the student's control, absence from two compulsory modules may be accepted. Where a student is absent from a compulsory part, the assessment will be substituted by an alternative (written or verbal) task. Other compensation task may occur, according to specific instructions from the examiner.
• A student who misses more than the allowed number of mandatory elements may attend the missed compulsory part of the course at the next course.
• The examiner will decide whether an exam that does not achieve a pass grade in some cases may be supplemented by an oral or written task. The supplementary tasks must be submitted or presented within three working days of receipt of the task from the examiner.
• Alternative assessment methods may exist for students in need of special support.

Grading
Pass with Distinction (VG), Pass (G) or Fail (U) are given on the course. The assessment of the compulsory seminars will be graded Pass (G) or Fail (U). For a final grade of Pass with Distinction (VG) for the entire course, students must achieve a Pass (G) on all seminars and a grade (VG) on the written exam.

Restrictions in Number of Examinations
No limitations on the number of examinations.

When the course is no longer offered, or if its contents change significantly, students are entitled, once per semester for three further semesters, to be examined according to this syllabus.

The course cannot be part of a degree whose content is wholly or partly in accordance with the content of this course.

The course is offered as an elective course.

Course evaluation is conducted after completion of the course and underlies any changes in the course.

On completion of the course, an evaluation will be conducted under the auspices of the course director and will serve as the basis for any changes to the course.

If a student has a decision from the Swedish Defence University regarding special educational support due to a disability, the examiner may decide on alternative forms of examination for the student.

This is an edited version of the syllabus, created to transfer the original to the education database Ladok education planning. For originals, refer to the archive.