LWMTAC: Law of Armed Conflict (International Humanitarian Law)

Module code: LWMTAC

Module provider: School of Law

Credits: 20

ECTS credits: 10

Level: 7

When you’ll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Jennifer Maddocks, email: j.h.maddocks@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2026/7

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 26 March 2026

Overview

Module aims and purpose

The law of armed conflict (LOAC) (also known as international humanitarian law (IHL) or the jus in bello) is a body of public international law that applies during armed conflicts. This module examines varied LOAC issues including the legal protections owed to civilians and to injured or captured combatants, the rules on how warfare must be conducted, and the law of occupation. It offers a unique insight into some of the most controversial and fundamental aspects of the modern international legal order such as how the law applies to conflicts between States and transnational non-State armed groups, and the occupation of the Palestinian Territories. The module essentially asks how war must be fought in the modern world. This question is assessed through an examination of the law itself and detailed real-world case studies. This module is designed to complement The Use of Military Force (LWMTUM) module, which considers the rules of international law applicable to the use of force in the international sphere (the jus ad bellum). However, the two modules can be taken independently.

In this module, students will engage with case studies from armed conflict, including occupation, during the contemporary era. The aim is for students to gain a detailed substantive understanding of LOAC, including an appreciation both of its value and practical limitations. As part of this, the module seeks to contextualise LOAC within the broader field of public international law, demonstrating how developments in the latter have impacted LOAC (and vice versa). In broad terms, the module addresses the balance that LOAC seeks to strike between the military necessity to engage in the fight and the humanitarian imperative to protect civilians and other protected persons against the consequences of warfare.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Draw upon a body of detailed substantive knowledge of international law gained through both class participation and self-study, and apply this to an essay question or problem question involving a fictional or actual armed conflict.  
2. Debate the relative legal merits of controversial claims made in the context of LOAC.  
3. Demonstrate an ability to set the substantive law content of the module in a wider context, both legal and non-legal. 

Module content

The module will cover topics such as: 

• Introduction to International Humanitarian Law 
• Geneva Law 
• Hague Law 
• The Law of Non-International Armed Conflict 
• The Law of Neutrality  
• The Interplay between IHL and International Human Rights Law 
• The Protection of the Natural Environment in Armed Conflict 
• Law of Targeting 
• Cyber Warfare and IHL 
• The Law of Occupation 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching in this module is designed to provide students with a range of resources on which they can draw in their learning. The main elements are: 

• A list of essential and recommended readings, with notes and questions that will be used to guide class discussion and reflection. 
• Eleven weekly seminar classes of 2 hours each. 
• Blended learning exercises built into the curriculum to augment student learning of the module’s various elements.
• Students will prepare a 10 - 15 minute ‘case-study’ presentation relevant to the topic that week and present this in class. Written formative feedback will be provided following this presentation. 
• Where there are Faculty seminars relevant to the area then students in the module will be encouraged to attend and given the opportunity to discuss the issues with visiting academic presenters. 

Study hours

At least 22 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 50% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each calendar day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three calendar days;
• where the piece of work is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in you Individual Learning Plan), the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three calendar days of the deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

Where a piece of work is submitted late after a deadline which has been revised owing to an extension granted through the Assessment Adjustments policy and process (self-certified or otherwise), it will be subject to the maximum penalty (i.e., considered to be more than three calendar days late). This will also apply when such an extension is used in conjunction with a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs