International Human Rights

Study Board of Law

Teaching language: English
EKA: B630009102, B630009112
Censorship: Second examiner: None
Grading: 7-point grading scale
Offered in: Odense
Offered in: Autumn
Level: Master

Course ID: B630009101
ECTS value: 10

Date of Approval: 20-02-2018


Duration: 1 semester

Course ID

B630009101

Course Title

International Human Rights

Teaching language

English

ECTS value

10

Responsible study board

Study Board of Law

Date of Approval

20-02-2018

Course Responsible

Name Email Department
Ulrike Fleth-Barten ulb@sam.sdu.dk

Offered in

Odense

Level

Master

Offered in

Autumn

Duration

1 semester

Mandatory prerequisites

None.

Recommended prerequisites

A basic understanding of international law, especially on treaty law, is an advantage.
The student is expected to be able to navigate the databases provided by the SDU library.

Aim and purpose

Human rights have attained an increased focus in international law at different levels. At the traditional level of international law the United Nations regime has fostered a range of legal instruments relating to human rights. In addition to the global UN system international human rights are regulated at regional levels. Human rights are regulated in treaty and soft law instruments. Human rights law is challenged by its anchor in international politics which provides for constant questions of how legal human rights law really is.

The course intends to provide the students with knowledge about the international human rights regime as such, its components and procedures. At the end of the course the students should have the skills to identify relevant human rights challenges and offer research based analyses of these issues including possible solutions. Student shall gain competences in independent learning and research as well as tackling multidimensional and multidisciplinary issues in the field of human rights.

This human rights course is a continuation of dealing with human rights issues. At the bachelor level, students are exposed to human rights at the national level in constitutional law and they are introduced to the foundations of international law of which international human rights is one part. Furthermore, at the bachelor level, students are offered the course European Human Rights as an elective. Taking the international viewpoint, this course adds the last dimension of human rights.

Content

This course seeks to introduce students to the universal system of international human rights protection by analyzing the existing international legal instruments relating to human rights, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the two UN Covenants.

The course also introduces students to the actors involved in the international protection of human rights. Besides the UN treaty bodies and the Charter based bodies, Special Procedures as well as human rights NGOs with a consultative status with the United Nations will be analyzed regarding their role in judicial protection of human rights.

Regional human rights regimes will be compared with each other with a focus on their state of development and (expected) efficiency.

Students will be familiarized with a theoretical framework that helps understanding the challenges and pressures that international human rights experience from different sides. A focus is put on the discussion about the universality of human rights vs. cultural relativism.

Tropics covered strive to take their starting point in current events.    

Learning goals

The objective of the course is that students are able to:
  • Explain and characterize the general contents of the various international human rights instruments
  • Identify and apply the relevant rules applicable to a given factual situation
  • Reflect on the challenges of international human rights posed to them by different actors and sources of human rights law and develop solutions to the challenges
  • Put (orally and in writing) the legal solution of human rights issues.
  • Compare and analyze international human rights instruments in terms of characteristics, strengths/weaknesses, applicability, enforceability and enforcement.
  • Communicate and formulate her/his knowlegde and arguments professionally and linguistically correct and in a way that is structured and coherent.

Literature

The main textbook will be Daniel Moeckli, Sangeeta Shah & Sandesh Sivakumaran (Eds.), International Human Rights Law, Oxford UP, newest edition

Additional reading material will be provided at the beginning of the course and may include the following:
  • relevant treaty instruments
  • relevant decisions from international (quasi-)judicial organs
  • academic articles
  • other primary and secondary sources

Teaching Method

Lectures include class discussions, group work and short bilateral discussions.
Students may select to do a voluntary presentation in class.

Workload

Scheduled classes:
The course will be taught as lectures of 35 hours.The workload will approximately be apportioned thus: 11x3 lectures (of 45 min.) and 1x2 (of 45 min.). 

1 ECTS is equivalent to 27 working hours. The retail distribution of the workload is estimated as follows: 
Lectures: 35 hours.
Preparation for lectures: 120,5 hours.
Written assignment: 74 hours.
Preparation for presentation: 10 hours.
Preparation for exams: 30 hours.
Exam: 0,5 hours.
Total: 270 hours.

Examination regulations

Exam

Name

Exam

Timing

Exam: january
Reexam: february

Tests

Exam

Name

Exam

Form of examination

Oral examination

Censorship

Second examiner: None

Grading

7-point grading scale

Identification

Student Identification Card - Date of birth

Language

English

Duration

20 minutes oral exam without preparation. The student draws a topic which is the starting point for the exam. The examination may cover themes and topics from the overall course. The written assignment will not be part of the oral exam.

ECTS value

7

Additional information

One cumulative grade is given on the basis of the written assignment and the oral exam. The written assignment weighs 1/3 of the overall grade whereas the oral exam weighs 2/3.
The course is not passed if the written assignment or the oral exam is marked as -3.  

EKA

B630009102

Written assignment:

Name

Written assignment:

Form of examination

Project report

Censorship

Second examiner: None

Grading

7-point grading scale

Identification

Student Identification Card - Exam number

Language

English

Length

The written assignment is based on the student’s choice among several topics that are made available at the beginning of the term. The paper may be written in groups of max. three students. 1 student: max. 24,000 characters; 2 students max. 36,000 characters; 3 student max. 48,000 characters. All aides are allowed.

ECTS value

3

EKA

B630009112

External comment

NOTE - This course is identical with the former course 8901201 International Human Rights.
Used examination attempts in the former identical course will be transferred.
Courses that are identical with former courses that are passed according to applied rules cannot be retaken.

The student is automatically registered for the first examination attempt when the student is registered for a course or course element with which one or more examinations are associated. Withdrawal of registration is not possible, and students who fail to participate in an examination have used one examination attempt, unless the University has made an exemption due to special circumstances. 
If a student does not meet the established university prerequisites for taking the exam, he or she has used one examination attempt, unless the University has made an exemption due to special circumstances.

Examination form at the re-examination can be changed.

The student must enroll for the reexamination via Student Self-service within the registration period. 

Courses offered

Offer period Offer type Profile Education Semester
Fall 2018 Optional Cand.jur. hverdag Master of Laws (LL.M.) | Odense
Fall 2018 Exchange students

URL for Skemaplan