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Education CICJ

The Center’s teaching programme is designed to help, develop and support the next generation of scholars in the ever-expanding field of international criminal justice.

Each year CICJ researchers teach a selected number of students in the interdisciplinary MSc. International Crimes, Conflict and Criminology. High performing students are given the opportunity to assist as interns in ongoing research projects. Additionally, the Center provides training for professionals who wish to strengthen their knowledge of the nature of international crimes and international criminal justice.

Our Programmes

  • Master of Science International Crimes, Conflict and Criminology

    In this unique one-year master’s program International Crimes, Conflict and Criminology, a group of approximately 35 international students from various academic backgrounds study international crimes from an interdisciplinary perspective. Courses are interactive and students are challenged to apply methods, knowledge, principles and standards stemming from various academic disciplines. Students are trained to conduct independent, high-quality research, preparing them to work as well-trained professionals in the field of international criminal justice.

  • Internships / CICJ Research Lab

    CICJ’s researchers regularly recruit research assistants for academic research at the Center. Moreover, CICJ’s extensive network in the professional field enables us to help students obtain internships at relevant institutions in The Hague, for instance the International Criminal Court or the International Criminal Tribunal of the Former Yugoslavia.

    Please note that until further notice internships at the Center are reserved for students from our Faculty’s master programmes. For more information on internship possibilities, please contact Joris van Wijk.

    The CICJ regularly recruits research assistants who assist in the academic research at the Center. Current and past Research Lab assistants include:

    2022-2023:

    • Anne-Carien de Buck
    • Cati Ellwood
    • Émeline Gosse
    • Alexa Helberg
    • Alexia Manduca
    • Oscar Monmont
    • Marie-Pier Nyboer-Levac
    • Tara Scholz
    • Sophie Spil

    2021-2022:

    • Rosa van den Berg
    • Janke Bleeker
    • Joana Da Costa Santos
    • Emilie Desaulles
    • Jip van Kemenade
    • Aleena Khan
    • Eef Kiggen
    • Biba Loggere
    • Nina Petzl
    • Megan Thomas
    • Charlotte Welch

    2020-2021:

    • Margareta Ana Baksa Topličanec
    • Frans van der Blom
    • Diana Bogica Gelvez
    • Lena Chouchan
    • Fabio Guadalupi
    • Tessa Huizing
    • Nena Kos
    • Verena Muckermann
    • Coralie Niggeler
    • Nathalie Prange
    • Beatrice Schutzbach

    2019-2020:

    • Jacqueline Beveridge
    • Willemijn Born
    • Tara Ditzel
    • Jessica Jeansipen
    • Roxane Kulenkamp
    • Madison March
    • Nikolaos Moaritis
    • Eva Notté
    • Akdana Shakenova
    • Megan van Straten
    • Gaia Rietveld
    • Lisanne van der Weijde

    2018-2019:

    • Suzanne Groen
    • Janek Gulbis
    • Helena Kreiensiek
    • Hajer M’tiri
    • Hossein Mojtahedi
    • Caroline Opperman
    • Malte Stedtnitz
    • Maaike van de Vorst
    • Luna Yperman

    2017-2018:

    • Eszter Boldis
    • Marieke Bremmers
    • Laura Jiminez
    • Andrew Kennedy
    • Xiao Mao
    • Zoi Pisourika
    • Rebecca Pol
    • Indigo Uriz Martinez

    2016-2017:

    • Jamika Jorge-Petit
    • Lisanne Evenhuis
    • Isabella Regan
    • Julia Litzkow
    • Kirsten van den Akker
    • Celline Cole
    • Aurora Jeanroy
    • Marie Steinbrecher

    Research Lab projects

    2022-2023:

    • In or out of control (Maarten Bolhuis)
    • Corporations and international crimes (Wim Huisman and Annika van Baar)
    • Child radicalization in family courts in Western Europe (Lisette Dirksen)
    • The Influence of Culture on Eyewitness Memory (Gabi de Bruïne)
    • Conflict-related evidence collection in Ukraine (Gabriele Chlevickaite)
    • Cultural Variables in Eyewitness Evidence at the ICTR (Dylan Drenk)

    2021-2022:

    • Universal justice in Europe (Lachezar Yanev & Sanne Buisman)
    • Cultural variables in asylum seekers’ statements (Gabi de Bruïne)
    • Juxtaposing reparative measures Eastern DRC (Mijke de Waardt & Kim Baudewijns)
    • Angola and transitional justice (Joris van Wijk & Maarten van Munster)
    • Corporate involvement in international crimes (Wim Huisman, Annika van Baar, Susanne Karstedt)
    • Cultural Variables in Eyewitness Evidence at the ICTR (Dylan Drenk, Annelies Vredeveldt, Barbora Holá)

    2020-2021:

    • If it bleeds it reads: An open-source analysis of lion trade in the media (Andrew Lemieux)
    • Cultural Variables in Eyewitness Evidence at the ICTR (Dylan Drenk, Annelies Vredeveldt, Barbora Holá)
    • Realities of International Criminal Justice (Barbora Hola, Gabriele Chlevickaite)
    • Corporate involvement in international crimes (Wim Huisman, Annika van Baar, Susanne Karstedt)

    2019-2020:

    • Corporate involvement in international crimes
    • 1F exclusion/domestic prosecution Syrian asylum seekers
    • Digital investigations
    • ‘In limbo’
    • World War II perpetrators
    • Handbook on atrocity crimes

    2018-2019:

    • Corporate involvement in international crimes
    • Domestic prosecution of foreign fighters
    • ‘In limbo’

    2017-2018:

    • Corporate involvement in international crimes
    • Re-socializing former foreign fighters
    • Helping to protect: R2P and the ICC in Colombia
    • Child soldiers, international crimes and sentencing: in between victims and perpetrators
    • Legacies of violence: second-generation conflict-affected youth in Belgium and the Netherlands

    2016-2017:

    • Wildlife Crime and International Crimes: Ivory Trade and Militias in Central Africa
    • Identifying jihadism in the Dutch asylum process
    • ‘In limbo’
  • Professional training

    For professionals who are interested in studying international crimes from an interdisciplinary perspective, CICJ offers the following options:

    • Contract education (paid per course). Practitioners can expand their knowledge and expertise by following individual courses (subjects) offered within the ICC-master program. For example, practicing lawyers who wish to improve their understanding of methodological issues, may find following the course ‘Research Methodology’ by prof. Bijleveld useful; diplomats or journalists who want to increase their knowledge of the workings of The Hague’s legal institutions may benefit from taking the course ‘International Criminal Courts and Tribunals’ by prof. Van Sliedregt. For more information on the tuition fees and possibilities, please contact: Joris van Wijk.
    • In-company courses. For (groups of) professionals interested in learning more about a specific topic, CICJ also offers  the option of providing ‘in-company’ modules or workshops within your institution. For more information, please contact: Joris van Wijk.
    • Workshops. For (groups of) professionals interested in learning more about a specific topic, CICJ also offers workshops at VU University. For more information, please contact: Joris van Wijk
    • Past workshops:
      • The CICJ organized the two day workshop: “Understanding Criminal Justice; an introduction for diplomats” (17 and 18 April 2013)
  • Summer School

    International crimes and gross human rights violations pose a threat to international peace and security and call for effective action. An effective response, however, is often hampered by of a lack of knowledge on the true nature and etiology of international crimes. Acquiring such knowledge is essential when designing effective measures and interventions to prevent and stop these crimes. Such knowledge must be multi- and interdisciplinary, but few academics and professionals working within the field are actually trained for such an undertaking.

    This Summer School on International Criminal Justice, organised and coordinated by CICJ staff, aims to create a better understanding of the complex nature of international crimes, its perpetrators and the reaction by the international community. By taking an interdisciplinary approach, students examine the juridical and empirical sides of these mass atrocities and by combining theory, interactive discussions and visits to the International Criminal Tribunals in The Hague students will quickly develop a basic understanding of the most important issues concerning international criminal justice.

    Student experiences

    “Really informative and interesting, amazing professors who were incredibly knowledgeable and experienced.” (2022) 

    “I thoroughly enjoyed this course and I wish that it was a year-long course. I have learnt so  much and met so many amazing people and made a lot of connections.” (2019)

    “I learned a lot about myself and about international criminal justice. Meeting and working with people from all over the world was an amazing experience as well.” (2018)

    “This summer school has made me more passionate about the field of justice than my three years of study has. I especially liked how diverse the group of students is.” (2017)

    “This course was fantastic and very enjoyable. It was taught very well from a range of disciplines, but was not overwhelming in the volume of content. The excursions were particularly enjoyable and very well-organised. They gave a great practical insight into the content and a very unique view of criminal justice.” (2017)

    “This in whole was probably my favorite academic course. Although I am not studying law, it is a subject of incredible interest. The course structure was impeccable. The variety of backgrounds of the instructors, the passion apparent in all of them, the relevant and intriguing excursions, in summation it was great! I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to everyone, law students or not.” (2016)

    Summer school in 2023

    Applications for the summer school in 2023 will open in the fall/winter 2022. Check the latest information and details on how to apply here.

  • Global Diversity Fellowship

    The Center for International Criminal Justice in Amsterdam introduces the Global Diversity Fellowship: an opportunity for early career professionals from developing and/or (post-)conflict countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, South America or Eastern Europe, working in the field of international criminal justice, to live and work for a month in Amsterdam and benefit from the Center’s network and its close vicinity to The Hague.

    For the legitimacy of a global international criminal justice framework it is imperative that talented young scholars and professionals from developing and/or (post-)conflict countries have access to scholars at well-established universities and research centers, and have the opportunity to connect with practitioners of relevant institutions, such as the international criminal tribunals in The Hague. The Center for International Criminal Justice (CICJ) aims to create a lasting framework for facilitating such access by offering a one-month fellowship each year to excellent scholars, researchers, and practitioners in the field of international criminal justice who may not otherwise have the means or resources to spend extensive periods of time abroad.

    Applicants

    Applicants should be early career scholars or practitioners in the field of international criminal justice from developing countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, South America or Eastern Europe, (post-)conflict countries in particular. Applicants should have a demonstrated interest in international crimes and/or international criminal justice, should hold a relevant Master degree, and have at least two years of relevant work experience at a university, research institute, government institution or non-governmental organization. Applications from a wide variety of fields of expertise will be accepted, including law, criminology, history, forensic science, epidemiology, sociology or psychology. Fluency in the English language (both in speaking and writing) is required, but applicants are not required to present a specific language proficiency certificate such as the TOEFL.

    Preference is given to applications of persons who have not yet had the opportunity to intern or study abroad.

    About the Fellowship

    The Fellowship facilitates a stay of a period of up to one month. The Fellow will be based at the Center for International Criminal Justice at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He or she will have access to all necessary research facilities (office space, library, etc.), and is expected to participate in all the Center’s activities. CICJ will fund a plane ticket (economy class), provide an invitation letter to obtain a visa, secure and fund housing, and grant a stipend to cover living expenses.

    The Fellow is expected to conduct research within the field of international criminal justice, from a theoretical or practical perspective. As part of the application process, applicants are requested to outline their research plan, and explain how that fits with CICJ’s work, how that relates to their own work back home, and what they hope to get out of the fellowship for their research and their career (short term and long term goals).

    The Fellow will be expected to finish a short piece of research of publishable quality during or shortly after their stay and provide a presentation at a seminar or lecture arranged by CICJ.

    Application Details

    Applications should include:
    • One-page cover letter
    • Curriculum vitae of no more than three pages
    • Outline of proposed research of no more than 1500 words
    • Names, affiliations, and email contact details, of two referees familiar with the applicant’s work, to be contacted by the selection committee if short-listed

    Currently no applications are open. Once they open, they will be published here.

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