International Humanitarian Law

FaculteitFaculty of Law, Economics and Governance

NiveauMaster

Studiejaar2026-2027

Beschrijving

Course goals

After this course:

The students have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the history, sources and general principles of international humanitarian law, such that they can apply relevant rules to concrete factual scenarios demonstrating due awareness of legal complexities;
The students can understand and take a position on current academic discussions relating to the application of the rules of international humanitarian law and its relationship with other bodies of law, for example IHRL ICL and national law;
The students will have gained the skills to independently identify, value and critically assess primary and secondary legal sources relating to emerging challenges in the field of international humanitarian law and related legal fields demonstrating a critical and solution-oriented awareness of the challenges and controversies in the field;
The students can construct and present legal arguments in a clear, well-structured in written work (paper and exam) in a manner that is methodologically sound and has the effect of conveying knowledge, contestation and stimulating debate.

Content

This course is designed for students seeking to understand how armed conflict is regulated by international humanitarian law. It is intended for students who have already taken the Security Law course of the Conflict & Security track. The course covers the history and sources of international humanitarian law. It focuses in detail on the classification of armed conflicts, with particular attention given to how classification is affected by current conflict trends, such as the fragmentation of armed groups and external interventions by third States. The rules relating to conduct in hostilities are introduced, as well as rules that are specifically designed to protect persons and objects from the effects of armed conflicts. In the final weeks of the course, attention is given to the relationship between international humanitarian law and other bodies of law, namely international human rights law and international criminal law. The course aims to provide students a solid grounding in the core legal framework of international humanitarian law which they can apply to real-life scenarios, while leaving room for discussion and exploration of new developments and debates in the field, such as armed non State actors, new technologies, humanitarian access and gender perspectives, including on the legal framework.

The course is designed for students interested in international law, international relations and politics.

Place of the course in the curriculum:

Compulsory course in the specialisation ‘Conflict and Security Law’

Reviews0 reviews

Nog geen reviews voor dit vak. Wees de eerste!

Heb jij dit vak gevolgd?

Deel je ervaring met toekomstige studenten. Inloggen met je Universiteit Utrecht mailadres duurt één minuut.

Schrijf een review