Postgraduate Module Descriptor

LAWM129: Human Rights and Modern Technologies

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

I. Foundations

Introduction to technology and human rights law

Privacy in the digital age

Freedom of expression online

Comparative approaches to data protection

Non-discrimination and due process

II. Practical application & current challenges

Technological companies and the protection of human rights

Digital identity, blockchain and human rights protection

Cybersecurity and international human rights law

Big data and the protection of vulnerable groups

Artificial intelligence and international human rights law

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
30	270	0

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	30	10 Lecturer-led seminars of 3 hours each. Students are expected to make at least one presentation supported by a written essay during the seminars.
Guided Independent Learning	70	Reading assignments
Guided Independent Learning	100	Preparation for formative assessments
Guided Independent Learning	100	Preparation for the summative assessments

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

European Convention of Human Rights: http://www.echr.coe.int/

Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights: https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/sites/eng/

Council of Europe website: http://www.echr.coe.int

Court of Justice of the European Union: https://curia.europa.eu/

Ana Beduschi et al., ‘Building Digital Identities: the Challenges, Risks and Opportunities of Collecting Behavioural Attributes for New Digital Identity Systems’ (2017) available at http://socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/media/universityofexeter/collegeofsocialsciencesandinternationalstudies/lawimages/research/Buiding_Digital_Identities_with_Behavioural_Attributes.pdf