Postgraduate Module Descriptor


LAWM671: International Human Rights Law

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

Module Aims

The aim of the module is to provide you with the opportunity to learn about and critically assess the major substantive and procedural aspects of international human rights law. The approach is practical, case-based, and discursive. The module will enable you to look in more detail at the issues generated by the internationalization, legalization and politics of human rights.  The module will also give you the opportunity to consider contemporary challenges facing the human rights system including the extraterritorial obligations, hierarchy in human rights law, problems of interpretation, accountability mechanisms, the role of non-State actors and the issue of responding to large-scale human rights violations.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here - you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.

On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. demonstrate deep and systematic knowledge and understanding of the nature of human rights in international law;
2. undertake complex critical evaluation of the major contemporary issues in the field of the protection of human rights at the international and the regional levels, using specialist literature and current research;
3. demonstrate deep and critical understanding of the procedural and substantive law of the relevant international bodies responsible for the supervision of States' obligations;
4. critically evaluate the role of the State and non-State actors in international human rights law;
Discipline-Specific Skills5. undertake complex critical evaluation of the place of human rights in international law;
6. demonstrate flexible and innovative capacity to analyse complex legal problems, identify the relative significance of applicable rules and principles, and select appropriate methods for investigating and critically evaluating them;
7. demonstrate detailed and comprehensive knowledge and understanding of legal concepts relevant to human rights and critical awareness of their social and political implications;
Personal and Key Skills8. present, explain and critically evaluate a range of substantive and theoretical arguments through assessments and learning sessions;
9. identify, retrieve and use the full range of available resources efficiently and autonomously; and
10. work independently and effectively, and to manage time efficiently in preparing for scheduled learning activities and assessments.