LA995-20 Comparative Human Rights
Module aims
This module is designed to provide students with an introduction to human rights discourse and human rights law from a multidisciplinary and comparative perspective. Through the reading and discussion of political and philosophical as well as legal materials, the module offers a contextual approach to human rights rather than a purely legalistic one. It covers the development of the contemporary idea of human rights since World War II, challenges to that idea, the institutional legal machinery created for the protection of human rights, including international law (the UN system and regional systems such as the European and the American systems) and national law (some domestic constitutional systems) adopting a critical and comparative perspective. The module also highlights the conceptual complexity around some relevant human rights issues, such as universalism, duties, state sovereignty, indivisibility of rights, and so on. Throughout the course topical and controversial human rights issues and themes are discussed.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
Freedom of expression
Freedom from torture
Liberty
Freedom of religion
The right to a fair trial
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate full comprehension of the main sources of international and domestic human rights law
- Critically analyse the role of law in the protection of human rights
- Critically compare and evaluate different systems for the protection of human rights
- Demonstrate an awareness of the controversies and difficulties surrounding the idea of human rights and its effective protection in the real world
Indicative reading list
Reading lists can be found in Talis
Interdisciplinary
Despite claims of being their universal (and thus based upon an objective morality), the creation and application of human rights is inherently political. A meaningful study of the efficacy of human rights requires the study of various competing philosophies and histories. It is unavoidably (and necessarily) interdisciplinary by nature.
International
This module compares human rights across multiple international jurisdictions with case studies from across the world.
Subject specific skills
Students will learn how to examine (and respond to) emergent challenges within the field of international human rights law. This will incorporate critically analysing the operations of relevant institutions (such as the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Banjul Charter, the European Convention on Human Rights etc) as well as engaging with contemporary academic scholarship and legal theory.
Transferable skills
Students will develop skills in critical thinking, conceptual analysis, close reading and how to effectively apply relevant law.
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Seminars | 8 sessions of 3 hours (12%) |
| Private study | 136 hours (68%) |
| Assessment | 40 hours (20%) |
| Total | 200 hours |
Private study description
Wider reading, preparing for seminars.
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You must pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Students can register for this module without taking any assessment.
Assessment group A1
| Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment component |
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| 4,000 Word Essay | 100% | 40 hours | Yes (extension) |
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Students will write 4,000 words on one topic from a selected list of topics |
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Reassessment component is the same |
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Feedback on assessment
Feedback via Tabula
Courses
This module is Optional for:
- Year 1 of TLAS-M1M2 LLM International Development Law and Human Rights
- Year 1 of TLAA-M3PJ Postgraduate Taught Advanced Legal Studies
This module is Option list A for:
- Year 1 of TLAS-M1M2 LLM International Development Law and Human Rights
-
TLAA-M3PJ Postgraduate Taught Advanced Legal Studies
- Year 1 of M3PJ Advanced Legal Studies
- Year 3 of M3PJ Advanced Legal Studies