Syllabus/achievement requirements

This course calls upon students to contemplate the line of legality of counter-terrorism efforts. In other words, students should understand the necessity of counter-terrorism to help uphold human rights, but that unfettered counter-terrorism undermines human rights itself. Through the study of specific cases in the context of counter-terrorism, students will also understand that there is constantly a necessity to balance competing demands to uphold the principles of democracy and rule of law.

Skills and general competence:

Students write a final paper instead of exam. Students read actual cases from the European Court of Human Rights, the Human Rights Committee, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and national courts. They analyze international instruments on counter-terrorism and the fundamental human rights treaties. They are able to explain the ethical and legal dilemmas arising from the phenomenon of the “War on Terror”: use of force in counter-terrorist operations (use of drones), preventive actions (search, surveillance, censorship), extraordinary rendition, the prohibition on torture, detention, and prosecution not accordance with international standards. They are able to explain the trans-systemic institutional structure addressing counter-terrorism. Students should be able to apply this knowledge within jobs in the Ministry of Justice, police, intelligence agencies, and law firms.

Required Readings: Textbook

  • Helen Duffy, “The War on Terror and the Framework of International Law”, 2nd Edition (Cambridge 2015)

Instruments for Reference: 

 Optional Resources:

Optional Reports:

Optional Articles:

Optional Articles and Reports:

Cases, Presented in Voluntary Oral Presentations:

 

Published May 21, 2019 2:23 PM - Last modified May 21, 2021 1:19 PM