This course seeks to introduce students to the most recent developments and contemporary debates in the fields of peace building and transitional justice. It will provide the conceptual framework to understand the dynamics, institutions and actors involved in such settings. More particularly, the course will provide insights on the key mechanisms within the transitional justice framework, namely: criminal accountability, truth-seeking, reparations, and measures of non-recurrence or institutional reform. All these dimensions will be contextualized by concrete examples of transitional justice and peace building scenarios, such as South Africa, Colombia, Guatemala, Syria. The course will include a negotiation exercise where students can put in practice and test what they have learned. After this course, students are able to understand the tensions inherent in transitional justice processes and to conduct independent legal and factual research in order to critically assess the measures adopted in a given situation. They will be able to evaluate the efficacy or prospects of those measures by drawing on the notions acquired during the course, including by contrasting and comparing them with analogous transitional processes in different contexts.
Course Objectives
The main objective of this course is to introduce students to the most recent developments and contemporary debates in the fields of peacebuilding and transitional justice, and to provide the conceptual framework to understand the dynamics, institutions and actors in such settings.
Achievement levels
By providing the conceptual framework and insights into the key mechanism and concrete examples of transitional justice and peace building scenarios, the students will gain the ability to employ the acquired knowledge in writing and presenting a legal memorandum.
Mode of Instruction
This course consists of a mix of pre-recorded lectures and live sessions, and three seminars devoted to student presentations. The classes address the main transitional justice mechanisms; when lectures are pre-recorded, there is an opportunity to ask questions during a live session. The seminars are structured as roundtable discussions where students are divided into teams and make oral presentations (6 minutes per student), followed by a class discussion. Active participation is encouraged throughout.
Assessment Method(s)
Assessment for this course is composed as follows:
- Submission of a 4,000 word written memorandum (80% of the final grade for this course); • Oral presentation (20% of the final grade). To familiarize students with the writing of legal memoranda in preparation for the final assessment, a workshop will be organized (attendance is optional).
Reading List
The course syllabus contains a detailed reading list per lecture with required and optional readings.
Brightspace
Additional reading will be indicated in the course reader and in the electronic learning environment, Brightspace.
Disclaimer
Should there be any future extenuating circumstances which may impinge our teaching and assessment, these could necessitate modification of the course descriptions after 1 September. This will only happen in the event of strict necessity and the interests of the students will be taken into account. Should there be a need for any change during the course, this will be informed to all students on a timely basis. Modifications after 1 September 2024 may only be done with the approval and consent of the Faculty Board and Programme Director.