Course syllabus Responsibility in International Law - Intermediate Course

For admission to the course, besides basic eligibility for university studies, the course International Law in Crisis and Conflict - Basic Course, or equivalent.

The overall objective of the course is to gain an understanding of the notion of legal responsibility in international law. The course will concentrate on four different types of international responsibility: the responsibility of states, of international organizations, the criminal responsibility of individuals, and of non-state actors. The course begins with an initial introduction to the general notion of responsibility, the difference between primary and secondary rules, and the overall framework in which the law of responsibility operates. The course is then divided into sections on each of the four types of responsibility covered by the course. The first section discusses the rules regarding the responsibility of states, both in respect of internationally wrongful acts and responsibility in the absence of an internationally wrongful act. The next section considers the law of responsibility of international organizations and the similarities and differences to the law of state responsibility. The course then turns to a discussion of individual criminal responsibility and provides an introduction to, and overview of, international criminal law. The final section considers responsibility of other non-state actors including organized armed groups and corporations (such as private military companies). The course concludes with a return to the overall framework and an introduction to the notion of shared responsibility.

Course structure:
1\. State Responsibility

2\. Responsibility of international organizations

3\. Individual responsibility

4\. Responsibility of non-state actors

Each part of the course consists of a block of two-three weeks of study in which the substance is initially introduced by lectures and then concludes with a mandatory seminar which focusses on the application of the law. Students will prepare a task for each seminar, either individually or in groups, and will present their answers orally or in writing. Students will be divided into groups to prepare seminar tasks. The course ends with a written exam.

Assessment and Examination:
Assessment is through participation in the assessed seminars and a written exam at the conclusion of the course. The written exam is an individual exam, conducted at FHS under supervision. The graded seminars account for 7.5 credits. They are mandatory and require active participation. The final exam constitutes 7.5 credits.

Specified below are general guidelines for the course.

• Students will be assessed against grading criteria provided in writing at the beginning of the course and each section.
• The teacher will determine if each student has fulfilled the requirement of active participation, as a means to ensure that students participate in the discussions and can verbally relate to the current theme.
• A student who misses more than one compulsory part cannot as a rule pass the course. In exceptional cases, due to events beyond the student's control, absence from two compulsory modules may be accepted. Where a student is absent from a compulsory part, the assessment will be substituted by an alternative (written or verbal) task. Other compensation task may occur, according to specific instructions from the examiner.
• A student who misses more than the allowed number of mandatory elements may attend the missed compulsory part of the course at the next course.
• The examiner will decide whether an exam that does not achieve a pass grade in some cases may be supplemented by an oral or written task. The supplementary tasks must be submitted or presented within three working days of receipt of the task from the examiner.
• Alternative assessment methods may exist for students in need of special support.

Type of Instruction
Seminars

Lectures

After completed course the student should be able to:

• Identify and describe, both verbally and in writing, elements of the international regime governing responsibility in international law with particular reference to states, international organizations, individuals and non-state actors.

After completing the course, the student should be able to:

• Apply the studied legal frameworks governing responsibility in international law to concrete cases and orally argue for different international legal solutions;
• Independently and together with others solve complex problems in the field of international responsibility.
• Present a solution to selected international law problems relevant to the notion of international responsibility.

After completing the course, the student should demonstrate:

• Independent critical reasoning about the notion of responsibility in international law.
• An understanding of the background to the rules’ emergence, relating to responsibility of states, international organisations, individuals and non-state actors, orally and in writing.
• An ability to describe and explain different forms of responsibility and present coherent legal arguments for each topic studied.

Mandatory seminars
Scope: 7.5

Grading Scale: Fail, Pass

Written exam 
Scope: 7.5

Grading Scale: Fail, Pass, Pass with Distinction

Grading
Pass with Distinction (VG), Pass(G) or Fail (U) are given on the course. The assessment of the compulsory seminars will be graded Pass(G) or Fail (U). For a final grade of Pass with Distinction (VG) for the entire course,students must achieve a Pass(G) on all seminars and a grade (VG) on the written exam.

Restrictions in Number of Examinations
There is no limitation of the number of re-examination opportunities

When the course is no longer offered or when the course content is substantially revised, the student has the right to be examined on the course content once a term for a period of three terms.

The course cannot be part of a degree whose content is wholly or partly in accordance with the content of this course.

The course is offered as a free standing course. The teaching language is English.

The finalized course with modules is assessed through a written evaluation. The development of the course is conducted in consultation with student representatives. Proposals to reform the subject will be managed by the teaching staff and presented in the Scientific Council where the decisions on implementation are made.

This is an edited version of the syllabus, created to transfer the original to the education database Ladok education planning. For originals, refer to the archive.