Human Rights and Rule of Law, 30 hp

Innehåll

Human Rights and Rule of Law consists of two modules:

1. International Law and Human Rights
Basic public international law including theories and methods, the relation of human rights to general international law, the role of the United Nations for the protection of human rights, how human rights are protected in Europe, how human rights are understood and protected in other regions of the world, the role of non-governmental organizations for the protection of human rights, the international protection in certain fields like of women, children and refugees and protection of the environment as a third generation of human rights.

2. Rule of Law and International Organizations
Fair and reliable laws and judicial institutions are widely emphasized as being crucial to peace, security and development. The purpose of the course is to highlight a number of key issues in creating and reforming such institutions in transition- and developing countries, or countries devastated by war, e.g. the critical role of law for peace and security, the legal basis for how states and international organizations can operate within international politics, whether and how law can be used to promote reconciliation, democratization and economic development, the prospects of successfully using foreign legal and judicial concepts as models and development co-operation within the field of law, e.g. how projects are identified, implemented and evaluated.

The course will start with a brief exposé of the most common arguments for and against international support to legal and judicial reforms, previous experiences of donor-supported reform programs, relevant international norms and policies, and the role of international organizations. After that a number of thematic seminars will provide a deeper understanding of key issues in building and reforming legal and judicial institutions.
 

Förväntade studieresultat

At the end of the course the student shall have:

- advanced knowledge of the position of human rights in the context of general international law
- advanced knowledge of global and regional systems for the protection of human rights.
- detailed knowledge of the international rationale for emphasizing RoL in developing, transition and post-crisis environments
- detailed knowledge of the role of states and international organizations in RoL developments, and
- detailed knowledge of the possibilities and limitations of different approaches and legal tools in those developments.

Behörighetskrav

Univ: A minimum of 90 university credits in one main field of social sciences, including an individual essay carrying at least 15 university credits, or 120 university credits from the Law Programme, or equivalent qualifications.

Undervisningens upplägg

The teaching in the module International Law and Human Rights consists of general public international law issues, and is taught via traditional lectures. It also consist of specialized human rights in the different areas and is taught in the form of seminars by teachers and practitioners. A student who has been accepted and registered for the course has the right to teaching and guidance only during the term/academic year when he/she was accepted and registered.

The teaching in the module Rule of Law and International Organizations will essentially consist of seminars. External experts will be invited to discuss current developments within their respective fields. Active participation by the students in analyzing and discussing arguments and trends is critical. Part­icipating students are required to carefully study all assigned texts and cases before each seminar. Further instructions on the requirements for each seminar will be handed out as the course proceeds.

Language
The language of the course including its literature is English.
 

Examination

Examination takes place through fulfillment of two parts, partly the compulsory course elements specified in component 1 below, partly writing a test and a research paper specified in component 2 below.

Component 1
Active participation during compulsory seminars.
Component 2
Fulfillment of a written home exam at the end of the course.
Fulfillment of a research paper.

Grades
A passing grade on the activities under components 1-2 above are required to receive a passing grade for the course as a whole. For component 1 the grades Fail (U) or Pass (G) can be awarded. For the written test and for the research paper the grades awarded are Fail (U), Pass (G) or Pass with Distinction (VG).

On the entire course, the grades given are Fail (U), Pass (G) or Pass with Distinction (VG). The grade for the course as a whole is based on the combined result of the research paper and the written test and awarded after the completion of all compulsory course elements.

The appointed examiner may decide to use other forms of examination if required by particular circumstances. A student who has not received a passing grade on a test will be afforded an opportunity for re-examination. A student who has passed examination may not be re-examined. A student who has taken two tests for a course or part of a course, without passing, has the right to have another examiner appointed, unless special reasons exist. A written request for change of examiner is submitted to the Director of Undergraduate Education.

Academic credit transfers
Students have the right to apply to have a previous education or experience evaluated for transfer of credits. For more information, see: www.umu.se/utbildning/antagning/tillgodoraknande