LAW4155 - International human rights - 2019

This unit is a general introduction to international human rights law. It is concerned with human rights standards as they exist in international law and the international mechanisms for enforcing these standards. The unit will consider a selection of specific human rights, limitations to human rights (e.g. derogation in time of emergency) and some major contemporary international human rights issues.

1. Analyse international human rights standards and evaluate mechanisms designed to enforce human rights at the international/regional level;
2. Explain and critically discuss the content of various human rights, such content being identified, inter alia, by reference to the case law of the UN treaty monitoring committees and regional human rights courts;
3. Critically evaluate some of the philosophical bases of and problems with international human rights law in light of contemporary human rights issues; and
4. Communicate effectively about human rights issues.

Group video: 30%

Take-home exam: (3000 words) 60%

Participation: 10%

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. The unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information