International Criminal Law, War Crimes, Genocide, & Crimes Against Humanity

Catalog description

The course provides a basic introduction to international criminal law and current events and issues involving international criminal justice. It examines how the international criminal justice system addresses the gravest crimes and mass human rights violations. The course is broken up into three parts. First it explores the evolution and historical development of prosecution of international crimes and mass atrocities by international criminal courts and tribunals. Second, the course examines the main elements of international crimes including war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, and crimes of aggression. This section also explores the sources of international criminal law and jurisdiction over the investigation and prosecution of international crimes. The last section examines the growth of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and recent developments in international criminal justice including sentencing, reparations and victim participation. The course provides an understanding of the codification and application of international criminal law and international humanitarian law and challenges to addressing mass human rights violations during or after conflict.