Duration
30h Th
Number of credits
| Extra courses intended for exchange students (Erasmus, ...) | 5 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
English language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
This course aims to provide a general overview of the main institutional, substantive and procedural aspects of the branch of the law dealing with the protection of human rights, as well as of the key practical issues associated with human rights litigation. To this end, the course will build on the basic knowledge already acquired in this field by students, directly or indirectly, throughout their curriculum. The approach will be inclusive: for each section of the course, the contribution and the specifics of all spheres of human rights protection (domestic, regional, universal) will be covered. Yet, the sphere of the Council of Europe (European Convention on Human Rights) will be of particular relevance.
The course will be divided into four major sections:
I.- General introduction
II.- Human rights institutions and mechanisms
III.- Human rights: substantive aspects
IV.- Human rights: procedural aspects.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
- Basic knowledge of key principles of public international law;
- Ability to use English as a working language.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The teaching method for this course will vary.
Lectures will be the basis of sections I, II and IV. Before class, students may be asked to prepare one or several practical exercises (taking the form of questions, situations, or issues that the human rights practitioner may face). These concrete situations will then serve as a starting point for the lectures.
For section III (substantive aspects), students will be invited to becoming familiar with the relevant human rights and associated judicial interpretation on their own. This proactive learning method may for instance be based on a reader with key pieces of doctrinal literature and case law, on oral presentations in class (especially of judgments of the Strasbourg Court), on quizzes made available online, and/or yet on office hours when students would be welcome to ask any questions they would have. More information will follow.
Finally, the last class could be the opportunity to hear from a guest, human rights practitioner - lawyer, member of a NGO or judge (to be confirmed).
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning)
Recommended or required readings
A reader with case law and literature may be published in connection with section III of the course.
Assessment methods and criteria
The evaluation method will be twofold:
* 30 % of the final grade: a paper taking the form of a very short (1,500 words maximum) commentary of a recent and significant decision in the area of human rights. The decision to comment on will be determined by the teacher. As an alternative, the teacher may offer students to participate - on a voluntary basis - in an actual human rights procedure. Participation in this form of law clinic cannot be guaranteed and will depend on concrete opportunities that would emerge during the semester.
* 70 % of the final grade: a take-home exam for which students will be invited - by consulting any type of resources they wish - to resolve one or several practical exercises and to give their opinion on one or several general issues pertaining to the protection of human rights.
Work placement(s)
Organizational remarks
Students are encouraged to acquire this collection of relevant material:
Blackstone's International Human Rights Documents (11th ed., 2018)
Students are encouraged to acquire this collection of relevant material:
Blackstone's International Human Rights Documents (11th ed., 2018)
Contacts
Christophe Deprez (Christophe.Deprez@uliege.be)