War crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide harm individuals, disrupt societies and pose a threat to international peace and security. The international community has over the past decades clearly expressed the need to prevent and stop these international crimes from taking place and to prosecute the world's most responsible perpetrators. Designing effective strategies to react to these atrocities and developing theories to understand this human behavior is extremely challenging. This can only be done by taking a multi- and interdisciplinary approach. This course, open to both Law students and non-Law students, is the first of its kind that does just that.The programme acquaints students with the basics of international criminal law and critically assesses modes of investigations. It reflects on the motivations of perpetrators to commit atrocities and discusses the value of alternative reactions such as truth commissions and amnesties. Explore together with our dedicated staff of Lawyers, Criminologists and Psychologists what 'doing justice' in actual practice means. Get the best of both worlds: study in the vibrant capital of Amsterdam, while the 'legal capital of the world' The Hague is just a 30 minutes train ride away.

Period
14-07-2014 - 25-07-2014 (2 weeks)

Target group
For students from the disciplines of Law, Criminology, Criminal Justice, Sociology, History, Journalism, Anthropology, Political science and Psychology.

Course aim
- To analyze and critically asses the nature and origins of international criminal justice. - To understand and distinguish the most important legal concepts - To recognize and comprehend the most relevant criminological theories that explain the occurrence of mass atrocities - To be able to compare the advantages and drawbacks of the various modes of transitional justice



Credits
3.0 ECTS creditsECTS is the standard European credit system, each ECTS credit is equivalent to 28 study hours. All courses are worth 3 ECTS. Because some education systems (such as the American universities) base their credits on contact hours, we have included the contact hours in the course description on our website.

Course fee
EUR 1350[Convert to USD]The tuition fee this course is 1350,- and includes furnished accommodation and the orientation programme. If you select two consecutive courses and study with us for four weeks, you will receive a 10% discount on the second course fee.Some courses will include excursions. We will also organize trips and excursions as part of our social programme, which is a great way to get to know your fellow students and learn more about Amsterdam and the Netherlands. The social programme is not included in the tuition fee.

Course leader
Dr. Joris van Wijk, Center for International Criminal Justice

VU University Amsterdam Study Abroad in Amsterdam
Address: De Boelelaan 1105 Amsterdam
Postal code: 1081 HV
City: Amsterdam
Country: Netherlands
Website: http://www.studyabroadinamsterdam.nl/en/summerschool/index.asp
E-mail: amsterdamsummerschool@vu.nl
Phone: +31 20 5986506