International Crimes and Criminology (MSc)

Genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes. Study the causes, search for solutions.

Genocide, torture, rape
Everyone has heard of Darfur, Abu Ghraib, Srebrenica and Rwanda. We often know what happened there and even think we know what should be done. But do we understand? Can we explain these manifestations of collective violence? Can we comprehend why horrible crimes like genocide, torture and rape take place?

Criminal masterminds and their followers
Slobodan Milošević, Saddam Hussein and Charles Taylor. We see their names and pictures in the media. But do we know who they really are? How did they manage to amass so much power? What were their motives? And what about their followers: are they malicious by nature, or are they ordinary men engaged in unordinary tasks under the influence of their leaders?

Peace, truth and justice
Perpetrators of the most heinous crimes can be brought to justice at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The question of how states should deal with their past has therefore become more relevant than ever before. Who can and should be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court? Is retributive justice always the solution? We all want peace, truth and justice. But what if the court’s rulings endanger peace?

Enjoy a small-scale programme with leading experts in a bustling city
International crimes such as war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and other gross human rights violations pose a threat to international peace and security and call for effective action. This action is often hampered because of a lack of knowledge of the true nature of international crimes. A thorough understanding of the root causes of these crimes is needed in order to find effective means to prevent and stop them in the future.

Acquiring this knowledge and designing effective measures means taking an approach that is both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary. The master’s programme International Crimes and Criminology aims to train students both to acquire the necessary intellectual skills to take this approach to this type of criminality and to teach them how to apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired in the real world.

Contact: info.law@vu.nl