International Criminal Law and Justice (LAWS70303)
Graduate coursework level 7Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
Contact information
June
Teaching staff:
Thomas Skouteris (Subject Coordinator)
For current student enquiries, contact the Law School Academic Support Office
Overview
| Availability(Quotas apply) | June |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
How does one not respond in the face of mass atrocities and political transitions? From the depths of history to contemporary times, from South Africa to Rwanda, from Argentina to the Arab Spring, this question has sparked significant debate. This subject explores the legal institutions of criminal prosecution and truth commissions in post-conflict situations. Providing case studies of transitions and criminal responsibility, it provides in-depth knowledge of the various models of transitional justice, the paradigms of international criminal law, and role of human rights movements in addressing accountability, memory and justice, peace, and social order.
In this subject we not only delve into the legal institutions of criminal prosecution and truth commissions in post-conflict scenarios but we also pay significant attention to the role of historical narrative in shaping the overall social function of international criminal law. By bridging the past with the present, we aim to uncover the intricacies of how historical events influence modern legal practices.
Indicative list of principal topics:
- The interplay of responsibility, memory, and historical narratives in law and trauma studies.
- Legal responses to mass atrocities, from the destruction of European Jewry during World War II (including Nuremberg, Eichmann) to the aftermath of the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide.
- Models of transitional justice: Criminal justice, truth commissions and testimonial justice
- Institutions of transitional justice: Case studies, including Rwanda, Argentina and South Africa
- The evolution and expansion of international crimes: Understanding the emerging jurisprudence from ad hoc criminal tribunals to the International Criminal Court, and discussing the potential to introduce new crimes, such as those related to environmental degradation.
Intended learning outcomes
A student who has successfully completed this subject should be able to:
- Identify and explain the multi-faceted nature of international criminal justice, especially in the context in post-conflict transitions, and discern the role of legal institutions in addressing mass atrocities.
- Recognise the pivotal role that international criminal justice plays in the creation and maintenance of contemporary cultures of memory and legal accountability.
- Analyse the various meanings of historical narratives and memory in international criminal justice.
- Assess the roles and limitations of key transitional justice tools such as criminal prosecution and truth commissions, including their possibilities for redress, reconciliation and transitional justice
- Survey and interpret the classification of crime within international criminal justice and the creation of novel categories of crime to deal with unprecedented atrocities.
- Critically appraise at least one case study that demonstrates the legal aftermath of conflict and criminal injustice, and its implications for our understanding of responsibility, trauma and memory in international criminal law.
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
Students should have successfully completed
| Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAWS70173 | International Law |
March (On Campus - Parkville)
August (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
|
12.5 |
OR have an educational or professional background in public international law
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Assessment
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Presentation: Critical introduction to one of the reading materials
| Day 1 | 20% |
Research paper on a topic approved by the subject coordinator
| 6 August 2025 | 80% |
| Hurdle requirement: A minimum of 75% attendance. | Throughout the semester | N/A |
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Quotas apply to this subject
Dates & times
- June
Principal coordinator Thomas Skouteris Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 34 Total time commitment 150 hours Pre teaching start date 14 May 2025 Pre teaching requirements Please refer to Canvas LMS to check on the pre-class readings and preparatory learning activities before the teaching period commences. Teaching period 11 June 2025 to 17 June 2025 Last self-enrol date 19 May 2025 Census date 13 June 2025 Last date to withdraw without fail 25 July 2025 Assessment period ends 29 August 2025 June contact information
Teaching staff:
Thomas Skouteris (Subject Coordinator)
For current student enquiries, contact the Law School Academic Support Office
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.
Additional delivery details
Please refer to the Melbourne Law Masters enrolment webpage for further information about re-enrolment, subject quotas and waitlists.
Melbourne Law School may reserve places in a subject for incoming international cohorts or where a subject is core to a specialisation with limited alternate options.
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Further information
- Texts
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Master of Laws Course Graduate Diploma in International Law Course Graduate Diploma in Laws Course Master of Public and International Law Course Master of Law and Development Course Juris Doctor - Links to additional information
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Please note Single Subject Studies via Community Access Program is not available to student visa holders or applicants
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
Additional information for this subject
If subject coordinator approval is required, or for further information about Community Access Program study, please contact us
(enquiries for current students | enquiries for prospective students).
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
Last updated: 4 March 2025