Between Law and War: How Justice Survives in Times of Conflict



Overview

When the world faces chaos (wars, surveillance, human rights abuses) can law still provide guidance? This course invites you to explore how legal systems respond when order breaks down, asking the central question: Can law guide us in times of crisis?

We begin our week by examining the foundations of international law and its role amidst turmoil. Whose rules matter when nations clash or governments collapse, and how does international law seek to impose order in the face of apparent lawlessness?

We then turn to today’s conflicts including Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan to see how the laws of war work in practice. Can law really limit violence or protect civilians? Through real-world cases, you’ll test the power and the limits of international humanitarian law.

Midweek, our focus shifts to human rights. Are rights suspended during emergencies? Do even the worst offenders have rights? You’ll grapple with these moral and legal tensions, debating whether protecting rights strengthens or weakens justice.

Next, we explore surveillance: how governments watch, how they justify it, and what this means for your freedom. Is constant monitoring necessary for our safety, or does it threaten democracy itself? Through global examples, we’ll examine the fine line between security and privacy.

Finally, we investigate accountability. Who ensures justice when leaders or governments commit crimes? We’ll study international courts and tribunals to see how justice is pursued, and where it fails.

This course is perfect for anyone curious about the intersection of law, conflict, and morality in today’s global landscape.

This course is part of the Inspiring Oxford summer school programme, held at Brasenose College.

Programme details

Daily schedule

After registration on Sunday afternoon, we invite you to a welcome meeting in the Amersi Lecture Theatre in New Quad, where you will meet your tutors. Join us in Deer Park afterwards for our opening drinks reception, followed by dinner in Brasenose’s historic dining hall (informal dress).

Seminars take place on weekday mornings. Most afternoons are free, allowing you time to explore Oxford, enjoy a variety of optional social events (see details below), or to sit back and relax in one of the college's atmospheric quads.

Your course culminates on Friday evening with a closing drinks reception and gala farewell dinner at which Certificates of Attendance are awarded. For this special occasion smart dress is encouraged (no requirement to wear dinner suits or gowns).

Social programme 

We warmly invite all Inspiring Oxford students to take part in our optional social programme, with all events provided at no additional cost. Events are likely to include:

  • Croquet on the quad
  • Chauffeured punting from Magdalen Bridge
  • Expert-led walking tours of Oxford
  • Optional visit to an Oxford Library or the Ashmolean Museum
  • River Thames afternoon cruise
  • Quiz night in the college bar
  • Scottish country dance evening (where you do the dancing!)

Seminars

Monday

The Role of Law in Times of Crisis

We start our week with an exploration of the role of law in times of crisis and ask whether law even exists or functions effectively during crises. Whose law applies, and can law provide guidance or protection when the world is facing war, disaster, or turmoil? We examine the foundations and principles of international law that come to the fore in crises, including humanitarian laws.

Tuesday

Global Conflict

After understanding the nature of law in crisis, we move to the realities of wars around the world today in places like Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan. We will explore what international law says about armed conflict, whether it can stop fighting, and consider what rules exist to govern how wars are fought. We then focus on the basic rules of war and the concept of lawful versus unlawful conduct in conflict.

Wednesday

Human Rights in Times of Crisis

Mid-week, our focus shifts to human rights in times of crisis. We explore how rights are protected or violated during war and crises. We ask whether those who commit wrongdoing have rights, and whether human rights are an obstacle to fighting evil or a necessary safeguard?

Through case studies, we discuss the tension between security and rights, and whether rights must be compromised for the greater good.

Thursday

Surveillance and the State

Today, we explore the ever-present reality of surveillance in modern crises and conflicts. We learn about surveillance mechanisms, their impact on civil and political rights such as freedom of expression and presumption of innocence, and question if surveillance is a necessary evil. We ask whether 'if you have nothing to hide' is a valid argument, and probe the possibility of escaping surveillance in contemporary society.

Friday

Accountability

We end our week by addressing accountability: how do we hold perpetrators and leaders accountable during and after crises? We delve into the workings of key courts like the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, discussing whether international leaders can be arrested, and how countries and governments are held responsible for breaches of law, and human rights abuses.

Certification

Certificate of Attendance

At the end of the course you will receive a Certificate of Attendance.

Digital badge

You will also be issued with an official digital badge of attendance. After the course, you will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to download this. You will be able to share this on social media and add to your email signature if you wish to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Fee option 1 (single en suite accom and meals per person) £2625.00
Fee option 2 (single standard accom and meals per person) £2275.00
Fee option 3 (twin en suite accom and meals per person) £2435.00
Fee option 4 (no accom; incl lunch and dinner per person) £1855.00

Funding

Please note there are no sources of funding (scholarships, bursaries, etc) available for the Inspiring Oxford Summer School programme.

Payment

All fees are charged on a per week, per person basis

Included in the course fee:

  • Any included excursions (see programme details above) and the full optional social programme.
  • Breakfasts Monday-Saturday (residential guests only), five weekday lunches, and dinners Sunday-Friday. If your course includes a full-day field trip, a packed lunch is normally provided.
  • Morning refreshments and the welcome and closing drinks receptions.

Participants attending multiple weeks

Residential participants staying at Brasenose College for consecutive weeks may arrange an additional Saturday night bed-and-breakfast between courses, available for an additional fee. Please email inspiringoxford@conted.ox.ac.uk to arrange this.

Payment terms

  • If enrolling online: full payment by credit/debit card at the time of booking.
  • If submitting an enrolment form: full payment online by credit/debit card or via bank transfer within 30 days of invoice date.

Please be aware that all payments (and refunds) made via non-UK credit/debit cards and bank accounts are subject to the exchange rate on the day they are processed.

Course change administration fee

Please note that course transfers may be permitted in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Programme Administrator, up to 1 May 2026; however, in accordance with our terms and conditions for our open access courses, an administration fee of £50 will be charged.​

Cancellations and refunds

Please see the terms and conditions for our open-access courses.

The Department cannot be held responsible for any costs you may incur in relation to travel or accommodation bookings as a result of a course cancellation, or if you are unable to attend the course for any other reason. You are advised to check the terms and conditions carefully and to purchase travel insurance.

Tutor

Mr Sameer Rashid Bhat - Tutor

Sameer Rashid Bhat is a DPhil (PhD) candidate in Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford. His doctoral research focuses on the interaction of legal regimes in armed conflicts. He is a Rhodes Scholar and a Clarendon Scholar.

Before his DPhil, Sameer read for the MSc in Global Governance and Diplomacy and for the Master of Public Policy (MPP) at Oxford. Prior to Oxford, he obtained an undergraduate degree in law from Gujarat National Law University, India and is qualified to practice law in India.

Sameer has taught courses on international law and human rights including at Hertford College, Oxford, the London School of Economics, and NALSAR University of Law, India.

Sameer actively engages in advocacy related to human rights, in addition to advising and consulting with grassroots organisations committed to social justice, particularly in human rights law.

Sameer’s work and research interests span public international law, international humanitarian law, constitutional law, human rights, counterinsurgency policies and Kashmir studies.

Teaching methods

Participants will be taught in seminar groups of up to 16 people.

Teaching methods used during this course may include:

  • Short lectures/presentations
  • Physical handouts
  • Seminars/group discussions

Application

Registration closes on 29 May 2026 at 2pm BST (UK time).

If your preferred course is fully booked, you may wish to add yourself to the waiting list and the Programme Administrator will contact you should a place become available.

Online enrolment (single person accommodation and non-residential)

Single person accommodation and non-residential places should be booked online by clicking on the 'Book now' button at the top of this page. Please do not complete an enrolment form for these. 

If you have any trouble booking online, please contact the Programme Administrator by emailing inspiringoxford@conted.ox.ac.uk.

Online enrolments require payment in full at the time of registering.

Single bedroom options:

  • Single en suite: private bathroom facilities (shower, washbasin and toilet).
  • Standard single: private bedroom with shared bathroom facilities (typically shared among four participants).

Enrolment form (multi-occupancy or accessible accommodation)

Twin bedrooms

Those requiring a twin en-suite room (for two people) should complete an enrolment form as these rooms cannot be booked or requested online. Please note these rooms have limited availability. 

If requesting a twin room, each person should complete an enrolment form and name the other person who they wish to share a room with. 

Ground/lower floor accommodation

Brasenose rooms do not have lift access, and the higher rooms can be located up a few flights of stairs. If you need a room on a ground or lower floor please complete an enrolment form and indicate your requirements, or contact the Programme Administrator directly at inspiringoxford@conted.ox.ac.uk as soon as possible. 

Enrolment form

The enrolment form is an editable PDF and can be completed electronically, so you should not need to print and scan it. 

Completed forms should be sent:

  • by email to inspiringoxford@conted.ox.ac.uk, or

  • by post to Inspiring Oxford, Oxford Lifelong Learning, University of Oxford Department for Continuing Education, 1 Wellington Square, OXFORD, OX1 2JA, UK.

Level and demands

The Inspiring Oxford programme is aimed at non-specialists: no prior knowledge is required, and classes are pitched at an introductory level. Courses are designed for an international audience aged 18 and over.

There are no assessments for this course.

Accommodation

Residential options are outlined below.

Please see the 'application' section above for guidance on how to book or request the right accommodation for you, including how to request a lower/ground floor room.

The course fee includes breakfasts Monday-Saturday (residential guests only), five weekday lunches, and dinners Sunday-Friday. All meals included are served in Brasenose College's dining hall. If your course includes a full-day field trip, a packed lunch is normally provided.

Accommodation options at Brasenose

During your course, for an authentic Oxford University experience you can stay in typical student accommodation at Brasenose College, in the heart of the city in buildings overlooked by the iconic Radcliffe Camera. 

Please note that bedrooms are student rooms. They are simply and modestly-furnished and do not have air-conditioning. You can find out more about Brasenose and its facilities by visiting their website.

The following types of accommodation are available. 

  • Single en suite: private bathroom facilities (shower, washbasin and toilet).
  • Twin en suite: shared between participants that apply to the programme together, with private bathroom facilities.
  • Standard single: private bedroom with shared bathroom facilities (typically shared among four participants).

Non-residential option

Prefer not to stay on site? We also offer places on a non-residential basis whereby participants can take classes and have lunch and dinner at Brasenose College, having arranged their own accommodation elsewhere. Breakfast is not included.

Non-residential participants are warmly encouraged to take part in every aspect of the academic and social programme and enjoy the same access to Brasenose facilities as residential participants.

Participants attending multiple weeks

We welcome students who want to attend multiple Inspiring Oxford courses. Residential participants staying at Brasenose College for consecutive weeks may arrange an additional Saturday night bed-and-breakfast between courses, available for an additional fee. This option ensures a seamless and enjoyable stay in Oxford.

Accommodation before/after your course

We are unable to arrange accommodation at Brasenose College prior to or following your course. Please visit universityrooms.com if you require additional nights of bed and breakfast accommodation, and they may be able to assist.

Additionally, family or friends who are not enrolled in the programme cannot be accommodated in college. 

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support