International Humanitarian Law
LAWS6218
How to limit and regulate violence in times of war is one of the most pressing challenges for international law. This unit explores the origins and purposes of humanitarian law; its scope of application (spatial, temporal and personal); the different types and thresholds of armed conflict (including international and non-international conflicts); the permissible means and methods of warfare (including the principles of distinction and proportionality, and specific weapons such as chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, cluster munitions, and landmines); the status and treatment of combatants and non-combatants and other categories (such as spies, mercenaries, "unlawful combatants" and "terrorists"); the protection of cultural property and the environment; the relationship between human rights law and humanitarian law; and the implementation, supervision and enforcement of humanitarian law (including the prosecution of war crimes, the role of Protecting Powers and the International Committee of the Red Cross, and national military law).
Unit of study details
Unit of study level: Postgraduate
Credit points: 6
Commencing semesters: 104, 108
Further unit of study information
Unit of study handbook: LAWS6218
Costs and scholarships information: Costs and Scholarships
Final dates to withdraw from units of study: Census Dates
Available for study abroad and exchange: No