International Human Rights / International Human Rights

The Academic Board of Law, Odense
Teaching activity id: 8901201.
Teaching language: English.ECTS / weighting: 10 ECTS / 0.167 full-time equivalent.
Examination language: English.
Exam activity id: 8901202.Approved: 03-10-12.
Period: Spring 2013.
Grading: Internal grading.
Assessment: 7-point scale.
Offered in: Odense.
Subject director:
Bugge Thorbjørn Daniel, Department of Law.

Prerequisites:
None.
Purpose:
Human rights have attained an increased focus in international law at different levels. At the traditional level of international law the system of the United Nations has fostered a range of legal instruments relating to human rights. In addition to the general UN system international human rights are regulated at regional levels. 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 in constitutional law and they are introduced to the foundations of international law of which international human rights is one part. Furthermore, students are offered the course European Human Rights as an elective. 

Content - Key areas:
This course seeks to introduce students to the universal system of international human rights protection by analyzing the international judicial practice and the existing international legal instruments relating to human rights, including 
  • the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 
  • the two UN Covenants, 
  • the UN Conventions on Prohibition of Discrimination against Women and on Prohibition of Discrimination on Racial and Other Grounds, 
  • the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child. 

The course also introduces students to the actors involved in the international protection of human rights. Besides the UN treaty bodies, the Charter based bodies such 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. 

Regarding regional human rights protection, the Inter-American and African human rights regimes will be compared both with each other and with international standards. The practice of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights will be of special relevance.

Goals description (SOLO taxonomy):
The objective of the course is that students are able to: 
  • Explain the general contents of the various international human rights instruments 
  • Indentify the relevant rule applicable in a given factual situation 
  • Discuss - orally or in writing - the quality of a judgment or a line in case law of the European Court of Human Rights, the Inter-American Court of Justice, or the Internationel Court of Justice, or a theses in legal theory. 
  • Put (orally and in writing) the legal solution of a hypthetical human rights issue on the basis of existing case law and legal theory into perspective. 
  • Compare and analyze international human rights instruments in terms of characteristics, strengths/weaknesses, applicability, enforceability, enforcement. 
  • Communicate and formulate her/his knowlegde and arguments professionally and linguistically correct and in a way that is structured and coherent. 

Literature:
- A selection of textbooks will be offered at the beginning of the semester
- relevant treaty instruments 
- relevant decisions from international judicial organs
- additional reading material will be provided.

Time of classes:
Spring
Form of instruction:
The number of lectures depends on the number of students that sign up for the course. Consequently, the course will be taught either as a full course with 30 lectures, a tutorial with 15 lectures or as an assisted self study. In case the course is taught as a full course with 30 lectures, the workload will approximately be apportioned thus: 2 lectures (of 45 min.) for 15 weeks including student presentations, class discussions.

1 ECTS is equivalent to 27 working hours. An estimated retail distribution of the workload, in case the course is taught with 30 hours, of an average student can be:

Activity
Hours
Lectures
22 ,50
Preparation for lectures
192,00
Preparation for presentation
25,00
Preparation for exams
30,00
Exam
0,50
Total
270,00

Please note that the overall workload of the course does not depend on the amount of lectures taught.

Time of examination:
Ordinary examination in June. Re-examination in August. 
Participation in re-examination requires that you have participated in the examination in June.

Examination conditions:
Synopsis and student presentation (8901212).

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Synopsis:

Duration: Date for submission will appear from the examination plan.
Location: Home assignment.
Internet Access: Necessary
Hand Out: Course page in Blackboard
Hand In: Via SDUassignment in the course page in Blackboard.
Extent: Maximum 5 pages.
Exam Aids: All exam aids allowed

Student presentation in class of 10 minutes (graded on pass/fail) based on synopsis on a self-defined topic. 

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Form of examination for the certificate:
Oral exam.

Supplemental information for the form of examination:
Oral examination without preparation based on the written synopsis, 20 minutes.

Programmes:
cand.merc.(jur.)
All Semesters, elective subject. Offered in: Odense
cand.jur.
All Semesters, elective subject. Offered in: Odense