Duration
Introduction to the laws of war : 15h Th
English language supplement : 15h AUTR
Number of credits
| Bachelor in law | 3 crédits |
Lecturer
Introduction to the laws of war : Christophe Deprez
English language supplement : Frédéric Depas, Pierre Geron, Caroline Hougardy, ISLV, Estelle Oger, Victoria Purchon
Coordinator
Language(s) of instruction
English language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
The course is taught in English and is organized in two parts :
- in the first part, the course will focus on the legal discipline; it will be taught by a law professor, in English;
- in the second part, language support is offered by a linguist (operating with the ISLV), in close contact with the relevant law professor
Introduction to the laws of war
Although, at first glance, war and law may be viewed as distinct or even contradictory phenomena, on a closer look it appears that many fields of international law contribute to governing situations of armed conflict. This course aims to map out these fields, and to give students an overview of the main principles under each of them. Of particular interest will be the key mechanisms of the prohibition of the use of force (jus ad bellum), of international humanitarian law (jus in bello), of international human rights law, of international refugee law, of the law of international responsibility, and of international criminal law.
English language supplement
This supplementary English module aims at making it easier for students to deal with the language of law classes taught in English.
It focuses mainly on active skills such as speaking and writing in areas covered by law classes taught in English, and on vocabulary relevant to those classes.
Students will also study various language functions that are typical in a legal and academic context in order to improve oral interactions in the classroom, oral presentations, summing up texts, expressing the opinion of another or expressing one's opinion, or drafting and presenting case briefs.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
Introduction to the laws of war
Upon completion of this course, students should be familiar with the role of the law (and, in particular, of international law) before, during, and after an armed conflict.
English language supplement
At the end of this class, students will have improved their legal English skills in an academic environment.
Students will be better at using English during law classes. They will be better prepared to deal with the language of law classes taught in English.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
The course follows and builfs upon the course of "foreign language in a legal context", which is part of the programm of the first and the second holder of bachelor in law
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
English language supplement
This language module is not optional and regular attendance as well as active participation is strictly necessary.
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning)
Introduction to the laws of war
Lectures will be the basis of this course (although active student participation will be encouraged). Each lecture will come with a Powerpoint presentation. Furthermore, e-learning material will be made available to help students fully understand the course (this material may take the form of video clips coming back to key segments of the lectures, or of online tests for students to assess their own command of the several topics).
English language supplement
This in-class course consists of ten 90-minute sessions.
Recommended or required readings
Introduction to the laws of war
A reader with key pieces of doctrinal literature will be made available. Students will be expected to read the relevant portions of the reader in advance. This is to help them be familiar with the topic and relevant English terminology before each class.
English language supplement
Practicalities about course material will be provided in due time.
Assessment methods and criteria
Each student will obtain a global mark for the course, wich consists of two separate grades, one for each section of the course, as follows :
- 3/4 of the global mark for the legal part;
- 1/4 of the global mark for the language support part.
A student who obtain a grade equal or lower than 8/20 for one of the two components, is not entitled to obtain more than 9/20 for the global mark.
An exemption for the language support part can be obtained for the second examination session.
No partial exemptions can be obtained for one or the other section of the course, from one year to the next.
Introduction to the laws of war
The evaluation method will be twofold:
- A short essay will be requested during the course of the semester. This short paper (1,000 words maximum) will determine 20% of the final mark.
- An oral exam will determine the remaining 80% of the mark.
English language supplement
The assessment will consist of an oral exam with preparation. It will take place during the June exam session.
Work placement(s)
Organizational remarks
Contacts
Introduction to the laws of war
Christophe DEPREZ (christophe.deprez@ulg.ac.be)
English language supplement
Coordination: Caroline Hougardy(C.Hougardy@ulg.ac.be
)
1er quadrimestre
Kevin Heyeres (Q1) - k.heyeres@ulg.ac.be
Victoria Lemaire (Q1) - vlemaire@ulg.ac.be
Estelle Oger (Q1) - estelle.oger@ulg.ac.be (estelle.oger@ulg.ac.ve
)
2e quadrimestre
Frédéric Depas - F.Depas@ulg.ac.be
Pierre Geron - pierre.geron@ulg.ac.be
Caroline Hougardy - C.Hougardy@ulg.ac.be