Human Rights

Study Board of Political Science, Journalism, Sociology, and European Studies

Teaching language: English
EKA: B430002102, B430002112, B430002122
Censorship: Second examiner: None
Grading: 7-point grading scale, Pass/Fail
Offered in: Odense
Offered in: Autumn
Level: Master

Course ID: B430002101
ECTS value: 10

Date of Approval: 13-03-2018


Duration: 1 semester

Course ID

B430002101

Course Title

Human Rights

Teaching language

English

ECTS value

10

Responsible study board

Study Board of Political Science, Journalism, Sociology, and European Studies

Date of Approval

13-03-2018

Course Responsible

Name Email Department
Kerstin Carlson keca@sam.sdu.dk

Offered in

Odense

Level

Master

Offered in

Autumn

Duration

1 semester

Mandatory prerequisites

Enrolled in the MOISL program.

Aim and purpose

The course is a mixture of law and political science.
The first purpose of the course is to provide students with knowledge of the many facets of human rights law, including global conventions, regional conventions, and the relevant case law, and the analytical tools to understand prevailing international human rights law.
The second purpose is to provide students with the theoretical tools to understand how human rights are constructed and contested within the international system, how they function and interact with other ideational structures, and how major paradigms in international relations understands their purpose and power.
The third purpose is to provide students with sufficient knowledge and skills to be able to understand international human rights issues from a combined perspective that takes into account both the international relations and a legal point of view.

Content

The course examines thematic topics in the post-Cold War international human rights system, including (i) an introduction to political science and legal method(s), (ii) universality and challenges thereto (discourses from the global south; the emergence of a particularized ’women’s rights’ discourse; cultural relativism and the Asian values debate; the relationship between human rights and international criminal justice ) (iii) regional and global national and international rights instruments and organizations (the UN; transnational conventions and their courts; NGOs and their networks; state-based institutions; ) and (iii) refugee, migrant, and citizenship rights.

Learning goals

By the end of the term the student should be able to 
recognize and describe basic theories and understandings of human rights, 
recognize and describe the basic features of international human rights law 
analyze key legal and theoretical perspectives surrounding human rights
analyze contemporary human rights issues in international politics and international law
critically engage theories including when dealing with concrete legal cases
present the acquired knowledge and skills in a reasonably well-formulated English

Literature

Key works to be reviewed will include Vincent, R J (1986) Human Rights and International Relations, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; Risse, Thomas, Stephen Ropp and Kathryn Sikkink (2013) The Persistent Power of Human Rights, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; and Donnelly, Jack (2013) Universal Human Rights, Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. A complete list of mandatory readings will be made available at the start of the semester. The mandatory readings will amount to approximately 1,000 pages.

Teaching Method

The teaching language is English. The course will be held 2 hours weekly for 15 weeks. Active participation is required.

Workload

The course will be held 2 hours weekly for 15 weeks. Active participation is required. 

Examination regulations

Exam

Name

Exam

Timing

Exam: January
Reexam: February

Rules

-3 is not allowed, 00 is not allowed

Tests

Exam

Name

Exam

Form of examination

Take-home assignment

Censorship

Second examiner: None

Grading

7-point grading scale

Identification

Student Identification Card - Exam number

Language

English

Duration

53 hours individual take-home exam. Date for submission will appear from the examination plan.

Length

The following limitation applies: The paper must be maximum 8 pages in English (each with 2400 strokes. Spacing, appendix and notes included, but table of content and bibliography excluded.) Number of strokes must be indicated on the first page.

Examination aids

All exam aids allowed.

Assignment handover

In the course's page in Blackboard.

Assignment handin

Via SDU-assignment in the course in Blackboard.

ECTS value

8

Additional information

Registration for the course is automatically a registration for the ordinary examination in the course. Cancellation is not possible. If the student does not participate in the examination, the student will use an examination attempt.

Evaluation at the re-exam can be changed.


The university may grant an exemption from the rules in case of exceptional circumstances.

EKA

B430002102

Mandatory assignment

Name

Mandatory assignment

Form of examination

Compulsory assignment

Censorship

Second examiner: None

Grading

Pass/Fail

Identification

Student Identification Card - Exam number

Language

English

Duration

-

Length

The following limitation applies: Maximum 4 pages of 2,400 strokes per page in English plus three peer reviews of 1 page each. Spacing, appendix and notes included, but table of content and bibliography excluded. Number of strokes must be indicated on the first page. Assignments failing to report the numbers of strokes and assignments exceeding the maximum number of strokes will be dismissed. Both the paper and the peer reviews will be assessed and must be passed.

Examination aids

All exam aids allowed. 

Assignment handover

Via Blackboard. 

Assignment handin

Via Blackboard.

ECTS value

1

Additional information

It is possible to resubmit the assignment twice. 

EKA

B430002112

Peer reviews

Name

Peer reviews

Form of examination

Compulsory assignment

Censorship

Second examiner: None

Grading

Pass/Fail

Identification

Student Identification Card - Exam number

Language

English

Duration

-

ECTS value

1

Additional information

The peer reviews happen at Peer Grade, which is an online service. 
Students sign up and in  with a class code (provided by instructors), submit their assignments, and then are issued 3 anonymized student assignments which they must comment on. Students must complete both the mandatory assignment and three peer reviews.

EKA

B430002122

External comment

NOTE - This course is identical with the former course 97017701, 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.

Courses offered

Offer period Offer type Profile Education Semester
Fall 2018 Mandatory Master in International Security and Law - valid from September 2018 Master of International Security and Law | Master of Science (MSc) in International Security and Law | Odense 1
Fall 2018 Mandatory Master in International Security and Law - valid from September 2017 Master of International Security and Law | Master of Science (MSc) in International Security and Law | Odense 1

Teachers

Name Email Department City
Kerstin Carlson keca@sam.sdu.dk
Vincent Keating keating@sam.sdu.dk

URL for Skemaplan