International Human Rights Law [2612]

General Information

• Credits: 6 ECTS
• Prerequisites: Bachelor's or Licence level (or equivalent); proficiency in French
• Learning format: asynchronous distance learning – 100% e-learning
• Language of instruction: French
• Course access: available at any time of year
• Disability liaison officer: Cécile Boucherle 

Course Overview

This course is an introduction to international human rights law. Its focus is on the challenges and emerging issues that are of interest to both practitioners and academics in international human rights law. Appreciation of such challenges enables a critical perspective of the nature and development of international human rights law. Case studies, including case law and jurisprudence of treaty bodies, have been employed to assist the student to understand the core concepts behind international human rights law and its contemporary challenges. As an introductory course on contemporary challenges in international human rights law, the course is designed to offer basic insights on various topics. Students are encouraged to do further reading so as to deepen and expand their appreciation of the complexity that characterises the various topics.

Course Objectives 

This course enables you to:

• Understand the scope and development of international human rights law and its contemporary challenges.
• Analyse State obligations concerning economic, social and cultural rights, including their justiciability and enforcement.
• Examine the extraterritorial application of human rights obligations, particularly in the context of economic globalisation.
• Evaluate international and regional mechanisms for the protection and enforcement of human rights, including the UN
• Human Rights Council, treaty bodies and the African human rights system.
• Apply international human rights law to practical situations through the analysis of case law and treaty-body jurisprudence.

Course Competencies

This course is linked to the following competency:

• Draw upon the sources and instruments of international law to characterise a situation in legal terms
  Course Outline.

Section 1: Scope of state obligations and justiciability of economic, social and cultural rights 

Section 2: The extraterrorial obligations for states under human rights treaties

Section 3: Universal mechanisms for protection of human rights – human rights council

Section 4: Regional mechanism for protection of human rights – African court of human and people's rights

II

Assessment Methods 

Course assessment is based on:

• tracking and completion of the course and of all learning activities. These activities, designed as essential practice and learning exercises, may be completed multiple times and are not factored into the final grade,
• the final assessment quiz, which constitutes the graded evaluation.

Learning Format

The course is taught entirely online via the MyDomuni platform, accessible 24/7.

Learning resources include:

• written course materials;
• supplementary documents and, depending on the content, video resources;
• interactive learning activities (quizzes, exercises);
• a discussion forum with the course instructor and fellow participants.

Prerequisites

This course is open to anyone holding a Bachelor's degree or Licence (or an equivalent qualification) in law, the humanities, social sciences, theology, or a related field connected to human rights, or with significant personal or academic experience related to the topics covered.

A good command of written French is recommended to facilitate understanding of the content and participation in the activities offered.

Accessibility

The course is accessible at any time, from any internet-connected device, via the MyDomuni platform.
For students with disabilities, specific support can be arranged upon request to ensure equitable access to course content and activities.

Disability liaison officer: cecile.boucherle@domuni.eu.

Selective Bibliography

• Philip Alston and Ryan Goodman, International Human Rights: The Successor to International Human Rights in Context, Oxford University Press, 2013.
• Olivier De Schutter, International Human Rights Law: Cases, Materials, Commentary, 3rd ed., Cambridge University Press, 2019.
• Rhona K. M. Smith, International Human Rights Law, 10th ed., Oxford University Press, 2022.
• Daniel Moeckli, Sangeeta Shah and Sandesh Sivakumaran (eds.), International Human Rights Law, 4th ed., Oxford University Press, 2022.
• Menno T. Kamminga (ed.), Challenges in International Human Rights Law, Ashgate, 2014.