International Human Rights Standards and Institutions

Course Code: PUBLG063

Course Tutor: Dr Par Engstrom (Institute of the Americas)

Assessment: 1,000 word essay (30%) + 2,000 word essay (70%)

Course Value: 15

About this course

This course aims to advance critical understanding of international human rights standards and institutions in contemporary world politics. It aims to build on students’ ability to analyse and evaluate international human rights standards and institutions with regard to their conceptual and institutional structures.

The course starts with an introduction to the modern international human rights regime. It is then divided into two parts. The first part provides an overview of international human rights standards through an exploration of the content of civil, social, political, economic, cultural rights as well as standards for special groups, such as women, children and the disabled and human rights duties of non-state actors. The second part focuses on international human rights institutions including their role, evolution and future. It deals with UN human rights treaty mechanisms,  the Universal Periodic Review and the Human Rights Council, and regional human rights mechanisms, in particular human rights courts. The course concludes with an analysis of the effectiveness, implementation and legitimacy of international human rights standards and institutions.