The course aims at offering to students the instruments useful for the understanding os social and individual dynamics leading to the commission of acts of genocide or other international crimes, in particular war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The legal aspects will be priviledged altough use of other disciplines, e.g. to history, will be made when appropriate.
For ATTENDING STUDENTS the texts will be indicated at the beginning of the course.
For NON ATTENDING STUDENTS the following texts are recommended:
- Amati and others (eds), Introduzione al Diritto Penale Internazionale, 2016, only pp. 1-54, pp. 287-318, pp. 323-431)
- A. Cassese, L'Esperienza del Male- Guerra, Tortura, Genocidio, Terrorismo alla sbarra, Il Mulino 2011
- Buzzelli S., De Paolis M. e Speranzoni A., La Ricostruzione Giudiziale dei Crimini Nazifascisti in Italia, Giappichelli, 2012, only pp. 63-155.
Learning Objectives
Students will acquire basic knowledge of the individual and social factors conducive to the commission of international crimes. They will be able to distinguish between an ordinary and an international crime as well as identify all the constitutive elements of each single international crime. They will be capable of applying this knowledge in the field or study work for either a non-governmental or governmental organisation or for an international criminal tribunal.
Prerequisites
Good knowledge of International law is required. It is also recommended to pass the exam of Storia dell'Europa contemporanea taught by prof. S. Neri Serneri
Teaching Methods
The course will be based on documentary and videos illustrating the various issues. There will be also presentations by external experts.
Further information
The course will use the Moodle platform, where the material for attending students and students with specific needs (with disability or long-distance learning) will be uploaded.
Ask the password to the teachers.
Type of Assessment
ATTENDING STUDENTS
Attendance will be verified for each class and only maximum two classes may be missed. If students participate actively throughout the course both in the discussions on the material to be read at home and on the video documentaries screened in class, the attending students will not have to pass also the written exam.
NON ATTENDING STUDENTS
The exam will be written and consist in the answer to four questions on topics treated during the course. In order to pass the exam, two questions have to reach at least the grade of 25/30. The evaluation of the exam will be based on the knowledge of the notions and case-law presented in class, the capacity of the student to make connections between different topics and the quality of the written expression.
Course program
Origins of the individual criminal responsibility in international law. War crimes: customary and treaty rules. Analysis of the recent case-law concerning war crimes committed in non-international armed conflicts and within one's own armed group. Lights and shadows of the Statute establishing the International Criminal Court. Crimes against humanity. Analysis of the case-law of international tribunals. Genocide. Current challenges to the legal notion of genocide. International terrorism