Course Catalogue

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The course covers the most important human rights systems currently in operation at the global and regional levels (UN treaty bodies, European Court of Human Rights, Inter-American Court of Human Rights, African Court on Human and Peoples' rights). The course addresses the substantive norms, procedures, predominant case law and the implementation mecahnisms that are distinctive for each system. The course then discusses if and how these systems are or can be legitimate and if the same standards of legitimacy can apply to all the systems under examination.

Weekly Seminars, Tuesdays, 3pm-5pm

This course is only available to LLB students.

Public International Law recommended but not required.

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One 5000 word essay on a topic of the student's choice, which may build on the 'Questions to Consider' outlined in the course document for each seminar.

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. Where, exceptionally, reassessment on Honours courses is required to satisfy professional/accreditation requirements, only the overall course grade achieved at the first attempt will contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

The aim of the course is to introduce students to core materials relating to international and regional human rights protection. The course will cover doctrinal legal aspects and will introduce underlying considerations of normative theory and will teach participants the skills to critically analyse and connect both areas of debate.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Reconstruct, distinguish, and evaluate the defining features of global and regional human rights systems

■ Demonstrate understanding of the substantive norms, procedures, case law and implementation mecahnisms of each system

■ Analyse the debates on the legitimacy of human rights systems

■ Establish and critique connections between the doctrinal aspects and the legitimacy of human rights systems

Submission of the summative assessment.