Trying Saddam Hussein: Teaching International Law Through an Undergraduate Mock Trial

Abstract

Efforts to enhance the quality of teaching and better engage undergraduate students have resulted in a noticeable shift toward active and problem-based learning techniques. This essay examines a multi-week, in-depth simulation designed for my upper-division international law course in which students assumed roles in a mock war crimes trial of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. It seeks to accomplish three goals. First, I wish to provide ideas for those interested in moving away from lecture-oriented teaching techniques and toward a more interactive, hands-on experience for their students by outlining an example of a successful, undergraduate mock trial. Second, I hope to make the case that mock trial exercises are especially suited for the international law classroom. Finally, the essay provides practical advice to instructors by exploring a number of issues involved in designing, running, and assessing a mock trial.

When Great Minds Don't Think Alike: Using Mock Trials in Teaching Political Thought

“…Moot courts and mock trial exercises have become essential parts of many law school curricula and are also used, although less frequently, in political science education in Europe, Australia, and North America (Collins and Rogoff 1991;Jefferson 1999;Ringel 2004;Ambrosio 2006;Gillespie and Gordon 2006). Many institutions of higher learning in these parts of the world are involved in national or international intercollegiate tournaments as well.…”

“…Mock trials usually simulate first instance courts; feature a prosecution, a defense, and witnesses; and mainly try facts before the court. Moot courts, on the other hand, simulate appellate courts, in which teams of lawyers dispute whether the prior trial court decision was the best application or interpretation of the law (Ringel 2004;Ambrosio 2006).…”

“…With roots in premedieval England (Rachid and Knerr 2000), these techniques have been successfully used in teaching public law (Cooper 1979;Deardorff and Aliotta 2000), international law (Collins and Rogoff 1991;Ambrosio 2006;Weiden 2009), world politics (Jefferson 1999), economics (Carlson and Skaggs 2000), taxation (Bentley 1996), and other disciplines (Knerr and Sommerman 2004). Mock trials have also been used for such practical purposes as predicting jury behavior (Bray and Kerr 1979;Kassin 1984) and making decisions in difficult clinical cases (Smith 1992).…”

“…In the last two decades, however, active learning methods have become popular supplements or alternatives to the lecture format in many law and social science classrooms in Europe, Australia, and particularly North America Knerr and Sommerman 2004;Ringel 2004;Ambrosio 2006). Problem-based learning, simulations, and role-playing in particular have come to be regarded as some of the most effective ways to both expose students to the complexities of real-world situations and decision-making and induce them to hone skills and gain a deeper understanding of their subject matter through "learning by doing" (Smith and Boyer 1996;Curran, Takata, and Acone 2000;Gillespie and Gordon 2006;Ambrosio 2006).…”

Political Theory Simulations in the Classroom: Simulating John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government

“…Scholars explored a variety of subfi elds such as American politics (Baranowski 2006 ), public policy (Endersby and Webber 1995 ), international relations (Ambrosio 2006 ), and comparative politics (Kaarbo and Lantis 1997 ). Several international relations theory simulations cover only some aspects of political theory, which consists mostly of diplomacy, negotiating, and explorations of international relations theory.…”