Universität Wien

030238 SE Seminar in Int. Law: The prohibition of the use of force and measures of the UN Security Council (2021S)

for undergraduate and graduate students

4.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 3 - Rechtswissenschaften
Continuous assessment of course work
REMOTE
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Wednesday 17.03. 17:00 - 19:00 Digital
  • Wednesday 24.03. 17:00 - 19:00 Digital
  • Monday 14.06. 10:00 - 18:00 Digital
  • Tuesday 15.06. 10:00 - 18:00 Digital

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

This seminar will focus on the role of the United Nations Security Council (UN SC) concerning the regulation and prohibition of the use of (military) force.
It will address the development of the prohibition of the use of force in the context of the UN. In addition, the seminar will discuss recent legal trends regarding humanitarian intervention and the responsibility to protect, including the UN SC’s crucial role in this regard.
Basic knowledge of international law is required.
We request participants to select a topic from the illustrative list below or to seek our approval for a comparable topic. Students may submit their final papers in German or English.

Themen:
• The history of regulating the use of force
• An overview of the exceptions to the prohibition of the use of force
• The UN Charter’s collective security system
• The use of force between collective self-defense and collective security
• The notion and legality of humanitarian intervention
• The responsibility to protect
• The definition of “aggression”
• The use of force and non-intervention
• The Security Council’s exercise of discretion under Article 39 of the UN Charter
• The legal basis for Security Council action against terrorism

Assessment and permitted materials

Seminar paper, presentation of the paper and participation in the discussion during the seminar sessions.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Seminar paper consisting of 50,000 characters roughly 20 pages (70%), oral presentation of the paper and active participation during the seminar sessions (30%).

Examination topics

Reading list

Preliminary Bibliography:

Yoram Dinstein, War, Aggression and Self-Defence (6th ed., CUP 2018).

Helmut Freudenschuß, Between Unilateralism and Collective Security: Authorizations of the Use of Force by the UN Security Council, 5 EJIL (1994) 492-531.

Terry D. Gill/ Dieter Fleck (eds.), The Handbook of the International Law of Military Operations (2nd edition, OSAIL 2015).

Terry D. Gill/ Dieter Fleck/ William H. Boothby/ Alfons Vanheusden (eds.), Leuven Manual on the International Law Applicable to Peace Operations: Prepared by an International Group of Experts at the Invitation of the International Society for Military Law and the Law of War (CUP 2017).

Christine Gray, International Law and the Use of Force (4th ed., OUP 2018).

Christian Henderson, The Use of Force and International Law (CUP 2018).

Ralph Janik, International Law and the Use of Force – Cases and Materials (Routeledge 2019).

Jacob Katz Cogan/Ian Hurd/Ian Johnstone (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of International Organizations (OUP 2016).

Jan Klabbers, An Introduction to International Organizations Law (3rd edition, CUP 2015).

Jan Klabbers/Åsa Wallendahl (eds.), Research Handbook on the Law of International Organizations (Edward Elgar 2011).

Vaughan Lowe/Adam Roberts/Jennifer Welsh/Dominik Zaum (eds.), The United Nations Security Council and War: The Evolution of Thought and Practice since 1945. Oxford (OUP, 2008).

Mary Ellen O’Connell/ Christian J.Tams/ Dire Tladi (eds.), Self-Defence against Non-State Actors (CUP 2019).

Anne Orford, International Authority and the Responsibility to Protect (CUP 2011).

Anne Orford, Reading Humanitarian Intervention: Human Rights and the Use of Force in International Law (CUP 2003).

Tom Ruys/Olivier Corten/Alexandra Hofer (eds.), The Use of Force in International Law – A Case-Based Approach (OUP 2018).

Noah Weisbord, The Crime of Aggression: The Quest for Justice in an Age of Drones, Cyberattacks, Insurgents, and Autocrats (PUP 2019).

International Law and International Relations Blogs

https://www.ejiltalk.org/;
http://opiniojuris.org/;
https://voelkerrechtsblog.org;
https://www.justsecurity.org
https://www.e-ir.info/about/

UN Security Council Coverage

https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/
https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/
https://www.refworld.org/publisher/UNSC.html

Library Subject Guides

Peace Palace Library, Research guide and bibliography: International Humanitarian Law, https://www.peacepalacelibrary.nl/research-guides/war-and-peace/international-humanitarian-law/#introduction
Peace Palace Library, Research guide and bibliography: International Peace and Security, https://www.peacepalacelibrary.nl/research-guides/war-and-peace/international-peace-and-security/#introduction

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Mo 27.07.2026 10:51