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Unit of study_
LAWS6856: International Counter-Terrorism Law
2025 unit information
This unit explores how international law has confronted terrorist violence from the mid-19th century to the present, including under transnational and international criminal law, the law on the use of military force, the law of armed conflict, human rights law, measures adopted by the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly, and the law of state responsibility. It considers controversies about the (in)adequacy of the law in areas such as targeted killings' (or extrajudicial assassinations), aerial drones, detention and trial of suspects, irregular renditions' (illegal abductions), enhanced interrogation' (torture), shoot to kill' policies, foreign terrorist fighters and citizen stripping, mass surveillance and privacy, and public emergency laws. Selected regional laws (in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa) and national laws (particularly in Australia, the UK and the US) implementing international obligations are also considered. The study of terrorism, and the law's response to it, is ultimately a study of when violence is justified, against whom, and for what purposes whether it is freedom fighters' or state terrorism', or extreme religious challenges to secular norms, at issue. Further information about this unit is available in the Sydney Law School timetable https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/4533/pages/postgraduate-lecture-timetable.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Sydney Law School
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Law |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
|---|---|
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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CISS6011 or LAWS3483 |
| Assumed knowledge:
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Students should have either completed LAWS6243 International Law I or have an understanding in at least one of the following areas: public or a specialised area of international law or criminal law or criminology or human rights or security and conflict studies acquired through university studies and/or relevant professional experience |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. know well the content of the law in each of the topic areas
- LO2. apply advanced legal analysis and reasoning skills
- LO3. understand and critique the processes of anti-terrorism law making
- LO4. evaluate the strengths and limitations of anti-terrorism laws
- LO5. demonstrate awareness of the political, ideological, ethical and philosophical implications of terrorism laws
- LO6. identify the sources of terrorism laws and be able to research further in the area
- LO7. utilize enhanced skills of legal research and writing in anti- terrorism laws (and be able to use research methods to write in a clear and logical manner, using plain and concise language).
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
There are no availabilities for this year.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Intensive May 2025
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Block mode | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
