DCU Home | Our Courses | Loop | Registry | Library | Search DCU
<< Back to Module List

Module Specifications.

Current Academic Year 2024 - 2025

All Module information is indicative, and this portal is an interim interface pending the full upgrade of Coursebuilder and subsequent integration to the new DCU Student Information System (DCU Key).

As such, this is a point in time view of data which will be refreshed periodically. Some fields/data may not yet be available pending the completion of the full Coursebuilder upgrade and integration project. We will post status updates as they become available. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Date posted: September 2024

Module Title International Law & Conflict
Module Code LG566 (ITS) / LAW1071 (Banner)
Faculty Humanities & Social Sciences School Law & Government
Module Co-ordinatorJames Gallen
Module Teachers-
NFQ level 9 Credit Rating 10
Pre-requisite Not Available
Co-requisite Not Available
Compatibles Not Available
Incompatibles Not Available
None
legal essay and / or questions
Description

The purpose of this module is to examine the way in which the use of force is regulated under international law. The historical, societal and philosophical perspectives of the jus ad bellum will be examined and evaluated. In this module students will investigate the legal framework, contained in the UN Charter and customary law which restricts the way in which states can employ force against each other. Case studies and simulations will be used to illustrate the efficacy of the legal framework. This module provides a platform of knowledge whereby students can evaluate international legislation and state practice in relation to the use of force in various instances, e.g. wars of national liberation, self-defence, response to acts of terrorism etc. Students are expected to attend weekly lectures and undertake case studies and simulation exercises. They are also expected to research and read relevant articles and contribute to class discussion.

Learning Outcomes

1. Locate the legal framework which regulates the use of force by States within the paradigm of public international law
2. Analyse the development of this legal framework, including both customary and international law
3. Apply the legal framework to scenarios and problem questions
4. Debate the effectiveness of the legal framework with reference to international law provisions, State practice and academic commentary
5. Defend and justify his / her opinions in relation to the legal framework in written and oral format



Workload Full-time hours per semester
Type Hours Description
Lecture242 hour lecture. Class discussion. Group work. Simulations. Case studies
Independent Study101Ressearch, Reading, Assignment Preparation
Total Workload: 125

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Jus ad bellum history and development
The restraint on the use of force in early societies and the development of the Just War doctrine.

Traditional Appraoches to Jus ad bellum
The development of the rules of traditional international law on the use of force, e.g. the recognition of rebellion, insurgency and belligerency.

Conventional law
The Conventional restraint on the use of force pre-1945, e.g. The Covenant of the League of Nations, the Kellogg-Briand etc.

UN framework on use of force
The prohibition of the use of force in the UN Charter; Article 2(4). The exceptions to Article 2(4) - self-defence (Article 51) and Chapter VII peace-enforcement actions.

Case studies
How have states used force in circumstances of humanitarian intervention, wars of national liberation etc?

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment100% Examination Weight0%
Course Work Breakdown
TypeDescription% of totalAssessment Date
Essayn/a60%
Projectn/a40%
Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories:
Resit category 1: A resit is available for both* components of the module.
Resit category 2: No resit is available for a 100% continuous assessment module.
Resit category 3: No resit is available for the continuous assessment component where there is a continuous assessment and examination element.
* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a Continuous Assessment/Examination split; where the module is 100% continuous assessment, there will also be a resit of the assessment
This module is category 1
Indicative Reading List

  • Abiew: 1999, The evolution of the doctrine and practice of humanitarian intervention, Kluwer Law International, The Hague, Boston,
  • Arend & Beck: 1993, International Law and the Use of Force, Routledge, London & new York,
  • Best: 1994, War and Law since 1945, Clarendon Press, Oxford,
  • Brownlie: 1963, International Law and the Use of Force by States, Clarendon Press, Oxford,
  • Cassese: 1986, The Current legal regulation of the use of force, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordecht, The Netherlands, Boston,
  • Brownlie: 2009, Principles of Public International Law, 7th, OUP, Oxford,
  • Claude: 1984, Swords into Ploughshares, 4th, McGraw-Hill Inc., New York,
  • Dinstein: 2005, War, Aggression and Self-Defence, 4th, CUP, Cambridge,
  • Findlay: 2002, The use of force in UN peace operations, OUP, Oxford, New York,
  • Franck: 2002, Recourse to Force, CUP, Cambridge,
  • Gray: 2008, International Law and the use of force, 3rd, OUP, Oxford,
  • Walzer: 2000, Just and Unjust Wars, 3rd, Basic Books, New York,
Other Resources

17720, Moodle, 0, Class Notes and Other Relevant Resources are available on the Moodle page for the Module,

<< Back to Module List