Useful links
Unit of study_
LAWS5231: International Criminal Law
2026 unit information
International criminal law (ICL) concerns the prosecution of individuals, mostly military and political leaders, for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression. After being first enforced in the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals after World War II, international criminal law has experienced a resurgence in the past thirty years. Today, ICL is a lively and often controversial field. There is major media and scholarly interest in ICL; trials are underway at the International Criminal Court and numerous international and domestic courts; and the rules of ICL are being debated, codified, and progressively developed within United Nations forums. This Unit provides a foundational knowledge of the principles of international criminal law, with reference to both historic and ongoing trials. Students will consider the roles of investigators, prosecutors, victims, lawyers, defence, judges, and States in international criminal justice, and will consider controversies and challenges facing international criminal courts and tribunals today. The elements of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, modes of liability and defences will be covered, with case studies on gender crimes among others. The Unit also considers the interaction between the International Criminal Court, national governments, and the United Nations Security Council.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Sydney Law School
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Law |
| Credit points | 6 |
|
Prerequisites:
?
|
LAWS5005 |
|---|---|
|
Corequisites:
?
|
None |
| Prohibitions:
?
|
LAWS3531 |
| Assumed knowledge:
?
|
None |
The learning outcomes for this unit will be available two weeks before the first day of teaching.
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 ? |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Semester 1 2026
|
Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
|
There are no availabilities for previous years.
Find your current year census dates
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.