LAW4667 - Human dignity in comparative perspective - 2019

6 points, SCA Band 3, 0.125 EFTSL

Undergraduate - Unit

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Faculty

Law

Chief examiner(s)

Associate Professor David Lindsay

Not offered in 2019

Prerequisites

For students in the LLB course:

LAW1100 or LAW1101 and LAW1102 or LAW1104

For students in the LLB Hons course:

LAW1111, LAW1112, LAW1113, LAW1114, LAW2101, LAW2102, LAW2111 and LAW2112

Co-requisites

For students in the LLB Hons course:

LAW3111 and LAW3112

Prohibitions

None

Synopsis

The unit will begin with a philosophical overview of the concept of human dignity and then enter into a historical examination of why human dignity has emerged as an important constitutional principle in international law and some jurisdictions. International and national experiences with human dignity as a constitutional and/or human rights principle will be critically examined. Particular attention will be paid to the role of human dignity in the so-called Arab Spring and its aftermath.

Outcomes

At the successful completion of this Unit, students will be able to:

  • Identify and critically analyse various theories and approaches to human dignity;
  • Identify and critically analyse the ways in which human dignity is codified and adopted in legal decision-making in select jurisdictions;
  • Communicate effectively and persuasively, including in articulating the relationship between human dignity as a legal concept and social, political and economic forces that impact upon the ways in which human dignity is understood and adopted in a given jurisdiction;
  • Provide and make use of feedback to assess their own capabilities and performance and to support personal and professional development.

Assessment

  1. Class participation (20%) A full explanation of how class participation will be assessed will be provided in the unit guide
  2. Reflective essay (1500 words) (20%)
  3. Research paper (4500 words) (60%)

Workload requirements

Students are required to attend 36 hours of lectures over the duration of this semi-intensive unit.

The unit timetable link below is not applicable to this unit.

See also Unit timetable information