Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Objectives Students completing this subject should be able to identify and understand current international human rights structures, procedures and problems as well as their relevance in international affairs and for Australian law and practice.
Synopsis Introduction by way of a survey of relevant international law principles, essential documentation, and universal and regional arrangements for the protection of human rights; discussion of important current international human rights issues such as cultural relativism (differing views on human rights between cultures); appropriate domestic and international responses to human rights violations, including discussion of amnesty laws and war crimes tribunals (responses at opposite ends of the spectrum), and arguments for and against a modern-day doctrine of humanitarian intervention; post-colonial self-determination; rights of indigenous peoples; feminist perspectives on human rights; international refugee law; human rights in the non-governmental sphere; possibilities for furthering the international protection of second generation (economic, social and cultural) rights; and the emergence of third-generation rights, such as the right to development.
Assessment Take home examination: 40% + Research paper: 60%