NSLC Program—Law and Advocacy
International Criminal Tribunals (1 or 2 credits)
Course Description: This course examines the role of special international courts in bringing justice in cases involving mass human rights abuses. The newest of these institutions—the International Criminal Court—has been regarded as one of the great achievements of the 20th century. However, critics have argued that earlier international courts such as the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda, for the Former Yugoslavia, and the Special Court for Sierra Leone, have failed. We will study the legal process used by these courts, their basis for decision-making, and their role in promoting (or undermining) justice and fostering reconciliation (or intensifying tensions) in post-conflict societies.
Professor: Renee Nicole Souris is a PhD candidate in Law and Society and Political Theory. Her dissertation examines the question of how individual moral and criminal responsibility for wrongdoing is impacted, if at all, by the abusive or violent nature of one's past and present environment. In particular, her inquiry is motivated by the question of how to think about the moral and criminal responsibility of adult soldiers who were kidnapped or forcibly recruited to fight as children. In addition to her research experience, Renee has gained professional and teaching experience throughout graduate school. She has worked for the United States Sentencing Commission of the U.S. Federal Government and has taught several classes in the School of Public Affairs in both the Department of Law and Society and in the Department of Government. In addition to teaching past sessions for the National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC) on terrorism and international criminal tribunals, Renee was also a fellow NSLC attendee.