Unit name | Human Rights in Law, Politics and Society |
---|---|
Unit code | LAWD30125 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | H/6 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
Unit director | Professor. Greer |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | University of Bristol Law School |
Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit will cover the following topics: the history of the human rights ideal and its contested status in western debates about law, politics and society; the increasing internationalization and globalization of human rights; arguments about the universality and cultural limits of human rights; the profile of human rights in the world's two main rivals to the western model (Islam and 'Chinese/Asian values'); attempts to sanction human rights violations through judicial processes (including the European Court of Human Rights and the International Criminal Court); and some sharp contemporary debates, including over the profile of human rights in economic development, aid and trade, in responses to terrorism, and in armed conflicts.
By the end of this unit a successful student will be able to:
This unit is also intended to improve the following benchmark skills – critical analysis of written texts and written argumentation.
Ten one-hour lectures and ten two-hour seminars.
Formative assessment: students are required to do one, and may do two pieces of formative work.
Summative assessment: one three-hour closed book examination in May/June, in which students answer 3 questions from a choice of 7 or 8 questions.
The assessments will assess all of the intended learning outcomes for this unit.