Bill Boothby is a member of the International Group of Experts currently drafting the Tallinn Manual on the Law of Cyber Warfare.  He is on the Drafting Committee of that project and is therefore particularly well placed to deliver this special elective course which will identify and assess the extent to which norms of existing law can properly be applied to the peculiarities of cyber operations.  The Course will draw on elements of general international law, the international law that governs the recourse to armed force and international humanitarian law, all in the specific context of cyber warfare.

Through this course, students will develop advanced specialised knowledge of international law as applicable to cyber warfare. To that end, a participant who has successfully completed this course will:

1)   Develop a sound understanding of the various international law rules that apply to cyber warfare;

2)   Demonstrate cognitive skills to critically analyse the hypothetical cyber warfare scenarios; and

3)   Be able to undertake an in-depth examination of international law issues arising in the context of cyber warfare.

Goals, criteria and proposed assessment methods, including the provision of effective feedback to students after the course (or during the semester), and how assessment will relate to teaching methods and course objectives.

10% - Class participation, including presenting/discussing group solutions to set vignettes

25% - Oral Presentation at end of course

65% - split equally between two essays to be submitted respectively 3 weeks and 6 weeks after the final day of the course.

Students are expected to spend approximately 10-12 hours a week prior to the commencement of the course for preparation and after the course in order to complete assignments.

LAWS8182 Principles of International Law

Public International Law

Tallinn Manual on the Law of Cyber Warfare (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming in January 2013). A reading list will be distributed to the students a few weeks prior to the commencement of the course.

WATTLE access