International Human Rights Law
MODULE CODE
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Module Aims
Aim 1
To offer an overview of the history, justifications, institutions and content of international human rights law.
Aim 2
To examine the diverse legal, constitutional, philosophical, moral and political foundations of human rights, including their relationship with ‘natural rights’, liberal and social-democratic paradigms.
Aim 3
To analyse and discuss the evolution of international law within the field of human rights protection in the post-World War 2 and post-Cold War eras.
Aim 4
To develop an appreciation of some of the challenges posed by globalisation and environmental concerns for human rights, and to analyse possible future developments within this area of international law. Different categories and successive "generations" of human rights will be analysed, including the new and still contested category of "environmental rights".
Aim 5
The emphasis will fall upon a discursive analysis of the above topics, which encourages students to further develop their critical and creative approaches to this subject, and ideally encourage further research interests within the area of international human rights law.
Module Content
- This module examines how the subject of human rights impacts upon governmental, regulatory and political activity within the European and international contexts.
- It addresses the impact of globalisation and the end of Cold-War bi-polarisation on the status and further development of human rights, including the claims that human rights have now become a universal entitlement of all citizens.
- It will address primary human rights instruments ranging from European and international treaties, UN conventions, governmental and NGO reports and judicial decisions.
- Throughout this interdisciplinary module, students will address the relationships that exist between human rights standards, international political processes and particular institutions.
- Among the key international human rights issues examined are:
- History, justifications and institutions of international human rights law
- First, second and third generations of rights
- Substantive scope of international human rights law
- Sceptics and critics of human rights
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, a student will be able to:
Teaching Methods
Preparation for the online workshops will involve extensive research and reading, to consider and critically analyse the set topics and the discussion questions, set in advance, arising from those topics. Students are expected to prepare answers to the discussion questions and present these to, and discuss with, the workshop tutor and group in the context of synchronous and / or asynchronous discussions. In addition to the skills of analysis and research, students are expected to develop and apply skills of analytical discussion, oral expression and writing. Students will engage with other students and staff in online activities, and synchronous and asynchronous workshops, to consider and critically analyse particular sources and engage in discussion leading to development of these skills.
The synchronous and asynchronous workshops also give students the opportunity to synthesise in a more dynamic way the independent learning already undertaken and apply principles from various themes covered in the workshop activity sheets. The final workshop will take place two-weeks before the submission deadline for coursework and run as a revision session.
Assessment Methods
This module is assessed through one Written Assessment and one Written Exam.
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Compulsory
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