KVVS2101 Optional Studies in Intercultural Communication (2–5 op)

Serious violations of human rights that constitute international crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes have taken place in a number of societies in the last decades. In order to punish the perpetrators and deliver justice to victims, the international community has established a series of international courts and tribunals that address these atrocities. These international justice institutions have included the International Criminal Court, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Additionally, human rights bodies such as the European and Inter-American Courts of Human Rights have addressed the said gross abuses within their mandates.

In this regard, the present course analyses the work conducted by these international justice institutions in the light of international law as complemented with inter-disciplinary perspectives. The course consists of a selection of topics stemming from the practice of these international justice institutions such as participation of victims in international criminal proceedings, use of media to incite genocide, compensatory and symbolic reparations, use of amnesties in societies in post-conflict/post-dictatorship transition, terrorism, as well as religious and/or cultural-related dimensions.

The course combines lectures with seminars and working groups. No previous knowledge of international law is required. Indeed, the topics and nature of this course are flexible enough to enable post-graduate and undergraduate students to enrol regardless of their previous background.