LW2216 Humanitarianism & the Law Assignment Brief 2026 | UCC Ireland

LW2216 Second Written Assignment Brief

Essay / Case Note / Policy Briefing

For the second written assignment, which is worth 70% of the total grade for this module, students have a choice of one of three formats of assignment, namely:

1. an essay; or
2. a case note of a legal judgment; or
3. a policy briefing.

Further details on each of these three formats of assignment are provided below.

1. Essay

The objective of the essay is to provide a critical analysis of an aspect of law covered in this module, drawing on primary legal sources, academic writing, and practitioner research and reports. You can choose from one of the following questions:

i. The definition of a ‘refugee’ set out in the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees does not reflect the protection challenges that climate and disaster displaced persons face today. Critically discuss.

ii. With specific reference to the Bhutanese refugees in Nepal, critically discuss how States, humanitarian agencies and refugee communities can use international and domestic law to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in refugee camp settings.

iii. Are ‘soft law’ sources such as the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction a more effective way of influencing State behaviour than binding international law?

iv. “The humanitarian imperative implies a right to receive humanitarian assistance and a right to offer it.” (UNICEF, Humanitarian Principles, 2003). In your view, does a right to humanitarian assistance exist in international law?

2. Case Note

The aim of a legal case note is to summarise and analyse a specific case before a court. In particular, the case note should set out the factual background to the case, the procedural steps taken before and after arrest of the suspect, the judgment (including any dissenting judgments) given by the Court, and your own analysis of the Court’s decision. For this module, you can choose one of the following cases:

• Dražen Erdemović “Pilica Farm” (IT-96-22) – war crime of murder committed in Srebrenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina
• The Prosecutor v Jean–Pierre Bemba Gombo (ICC-01/05-01-08) – crimes against humanity and war crimes in Central African Republic
• The Prosecutor v. Jean–Paul Akayesu (ICTR-96-4) – prosecution for genocide in Rwanda

3. Policy Briefing

The objective of a policy briefing is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the factual and legal situation currently existing in regard to a specific humanitarian crisis. The policy briefing should set out the reasons for the humanitarian crisis, the type of crisis, the legal framework applicable in this situation, and actions taken by the national authorities and/or international community. The policy briefing should not just be descriptive but should also provide your own analysis of the situation. You must choose one of the following countries for this policy briefing:

• Ukraine
• Afghanistan
• Syria
• Yemen
• Palestine
• Myanmar

Assignment Guidelines

DEADLINE and SUBMISSION

The deadline for submission of the assignment is Thursday 16^st April 2026, by 5.00pm.

All assignments should be submitted on Canvas by 5.00pm on this date.

➢ Please note: there is no provision for late submission of assignments except where an extension has been obtained in advance. Therefore, assignments submitted after the deadline, without prior approval, will be awarded a grade of zero.

WORD COUNT

➢ The maximum word count for this assignment is 3,000 words.

The maximum word count for this assignment will be applied strictly. A penalty of 5% of the total marks available for this assignment will apply in respect of each 10% or part thereof by which the assignment exceeds the word count.

Example: If the limit is 3,000 words:

• from 3,001 to 3,300 the penalty is 5%.
• from 3,301 to 3,600 the penalty is 10% etc.

This maximum word count excludes footnotes and excludes the bibliography. If there is a dispute about the word count, the onus is on the students to explain the discrepancy.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Please note that plagiarism and collusion are serious offences and so take the time to read the information in the Module Syllabus on pp.8-10.

Note also, as per the UCC Academic Integrity for Examinations and Assessments Policy 20252026 (Sept 2025, para 3.5), forms of Academic Misconduct include but are not limited to, the following …

• Unethical Use of AI – Academic Integrity is breached if students submit the products of GenAI as their own work … without authorisation to use GenAI in fulfilling the task.

Please review carefully the School of Law Policy on Use of AI Tools in Assessed Work 2025/26 – available on Canvas.

➢ You are not authorised to use any form of GenAI in the completion of this assignment.

FORMAT

All assignments should be word processed in 12-point font and be double spaced/ use 1.5-line spacing. This assignment should be submitted online in Word or equivalent format, not as a pdf. The first page of the assignment must state the following information:

Student Number:

Module Code:

Module Title:

Lecturer Name(s):

Title of Assignment: Word Count:

The assignment will not be accepted unless this information is provided.

CITATIONS

As this is a legal assignment, it is strongly recommended that you use the OSCOLA citation method:

• The Oxford University Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOL Guidelines, 4^th ed, 2012) can be found at: https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/migrated/oscola_4th_edn_hart_2012qui ckreferenceguide.pdf  

• The OSCOLACiting International Law     Guidelines can be found at: https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/migrated/oscola_2006_citing_internatio pdf  

However, it is acceptable to utilise the Harvard referencing style if you are more familiar with this method.

MARKING GUIDE

Some sample Marking and Assessment Criteria are provided on pp.4-5. This outlines the indicative criteria used in the marking process and provides guidance on criteria that you should address in your coursework. You should refer to this as you plan and write your essay.

Queries / Staff Contact

Please pose questions on the Discussion Forum on Canvas so all members of the class can receive the same information at the same time, unless your query contains specific personal information. Any personal queries should be directed to the Module Convenor, Dr Marie Aronsson-Storrier, at  maronsson-storrier@ucc.ie.  

Marking & Assessment Criteria

The pass standard for this module is 40%. Marks in passed element(s) of continuous assessment are carried forward. Students failing an assignment(s), which includes failure to submit, must submit another assignment on a topic set for the Autumn Supplemental Examination, as prescribed by the School of Law.

As per other Law modules, the marks bands are as follows:

UCC uses the National University of Ireland Grade Descriptors, which are available on the module page on Canvas.

The following key areas will be used in the marking and assessment process, so students should keep these in mind while planning and writing their essay.