Detailed Syllabus

Detailed Syllabus will be made available in early June.

Syllabus

Please note that this Syllabus may be subject to changes if this course is taught online.

Course Topics

international human rights law, dignity and freedom, the UN, treaty mechanisms

Requirements for Enrollement

Students are expected to be familiar with basic concepts of international relations, such as State sovereignty.
Prior taking of International Law EA would be useful but not required. 

Course Overview

The protection and promotion of human rights has become one of the key purposes of modern international society. When speaking of human rights, people often make recourse to ethical, moral or religious grounds. We can also see that the contents of human rights are sometimes shaped through politics or social discourses. In the international society that we live in with diverse historical and cultural backgrounds, international law plays a crucial role in providing a common ground for discussion and seeking accountability by victims.
In this course, students will learn international human rights law, including its history, basic principles and institutional mechanisms. In addition to understanding the contents of international human rights law, students will acquire basic competency in legal thinking, writing and research, which will enable them to contribute in making our society respect the inherent dignity and promote freedom of all members of the human family. 

Course Objectives

Students in this course will be expected to achieve the following APS Learning Goals:
1. Academic Knowledge and Understanding
1-a. Students have acquired a basic knowledge of the global society with an emphasis on the Asia Pacific region and other related knowledge.
1-b. Students have progressed toward a comprehensive understanding of the area of study (International Relations and Peace Studies)
2. Abilities and Skills
2-a. Students have improved their logical and critical thinking.

This course will be structured around the following specific learning outcomes:
i) Identify and explain the value clashes and structural problems of human rights conflicts around the world
ii) Identify and apply the major sources of international human rights law and explain their concrete standards;
iii) Analyze and explain the nature and legal characteristics of human rights (e.g. typology of obligations);
iv) Explain and assess the application of human rights law and norms to address human rights violations and abuses;
v) Explain the functions of major international enforcement mechanisms for international human rights and analyse their positions. 

Teaching Methods

Class time will be used for a combination of lectures, discussions, and group exercises. Students are expected to read materials prior to each class and to offer their findings and share their opinion in class. 

Overview of Each Class

Week 1:
- Discrimination
- Fundamental principles of human rights
- The International Court of Justice
Week 2:
- Judicial violations and legal restrictions
- The scope of treaty application
- The UN system
Week 3:
- Freedom of expression and censorship
- Obligation to respect
- Regional mechanisms
Week 4:
- State, identify and citizenship
- The right to effective remedy
- Treaty bodies
Week 5: (Mid-term exam)
- Conflict and migration
- International criminal tribunals
Week 6:
- Women's rights
- Obligation to protect
- Domestic courts
Week 7:
- Children's rights
- Obligation to fulfill
- Human rights defenders & Business 

Pre-class Study and Revision Load

Students are expected to read materials prior to attending each class. Reading list will be provided in the detailed syllabus, which will be uploaded to the Lecturer's home page no later than a week before the course begins. For each class, the load of reading will be one article and a treaty text.
When reviewing each class, students are advised to read the actual case that would be discussed in the class.

Voluntary presentations (bonus points): Each week, a group of 2-4 students are called to give a presentation on the topic of the class. The presenting group should meet with the lecturer in advance to discuss the contents of the presentation. Details will be explained in the first class. 

Method of Grade Evaluation

Quiz (20%), Mid-term exam (30%), Final report (50%), Bonus points will be given to voluntary presentations
There will be no points given by just attending classes. 

Method of Implementing Multicultural Collaborative Learning

"International law offers a vocabulary for political debate" (Klabbers, 2017). This course will not provide legal answers to specific questions, like state A acted legally or in violation of international human rights law. Rather, this course will train students the ability to make legal argumentation. In order to disassociate their personal feelings from legal thinking, students may be asked to provide legal justifications of the positions that do not necessarily match their moral or cultural perspectives.
Students will be required to actively participate in the classroom through online tool (respon) and groupworks. Groupworks are particularly important for students to practice such skills through a dialogic process. 

Requirements for Students

- Please bring PC, a tablet or a smartphone connected to internet/WiFi to the classroom. They will be used for answering quizzes and for practicing research skills.
- No recording or photo-taking is allowed. Materials used during classes will be made available on manaba.
This Syllabus may be subject to updates or modifications. Any changes will be announced in a class and the latest version will be uploaded to manaba. 

Textbook

Malcolm Evans (ed), Blackstone's International Law Documents(Oxford University Press, 14th edition, 2019).
Students can use older versions. This compilation of documents is also used at International Law (030102EA; Fall Q1).

Alison Bisset (ed), Blackstone's International Human Rights Documents (Oxford University Press, 11th edition, 2018).
A student wishing to study human rights in depth is advised to purchase this one, instead of above. 

Misc. Notes

- Please bring PC, a tablet or a smartphone connected to internet/WiFi to the classroom. They will be used for answering quizzes and for practicing research skills.
- No recording or photo-taking is allowed. Materials used during classes will be made available on manaba.
This Syllabus may be subject to updates or modifications. Any changes will be announced in a class and the latest version will be uploaded to manaba.