THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2017/2018

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Law : Law

Undergraduate Course: Human Rights Honours (20 credit) (LAWS10212)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Law CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course provides a comprehensive overview of domestic, regional and international systems for protecting human rights, and of the relationship between them, so as to build on the treatment of human rights in the Ordinary courses of Public Law and Individual Rights (PLAIR), and Public Law of the UK and Scotland (PLUS).
Course description The course will both provide an overview of human rights regimes and machinery at the international and domestic level, and examine how particular human rights abuses are addressed in practice. The course will examine: different institutional responses to human rights violations at the international, regional, and national level, and the difficulties and controversies in enforcing civil and political rights, socio-economic rights, and group rights. It will examine how these dynamics play out in the European, UK, and Scottish context. Teaching will be based around practical problems and focused on current controversies. The course aims to be useful to those interested in human rights and legal practice, but also to human rights advocacy in a non-governmental setting, and for those interested in rights issues more generally.

It is anticipated that students will contribute, and be prepared to discuss issues from the various topics. Students are expected to attend all scheduled teaching, and to have read beforehand the relevant cases and statutory provisions, as well as other readings set out for each topic. Sometimes, there will be questions for discussion attached to the Reading Lists. Students will be expected to participate in class discussions.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: Public Law of the UK and Scotland (LAWS08123) AND Public Law and Individual Rights (LAWS08132)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2017/18, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  25
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 176 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) 100% Coursework, consisting of 80% essay and 20% class participation.
Feedback Students will be offered the opportunity to submit a formative essay for written individual feedback (and general feedback in class). Students will receive individual feedback relating to the summative assignment.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of international, regional and domestic human rights law, and their inter-relationship as described above.
  2. Develop applied knowledge, skills and understanding by looking at key cases and fact pattern scenarios. This is assessed in the coursewokr which is based on a fictitious fact-pattern which tests capacity to apply learning to a complex set of facts which bring up a range of issues and potential areas of law and remedies.
  3. Demonstrate oral and written communication skills, developed through class argumentation and presentations, and written assessment.
  4. Show autonomy, accountability and capacity to work with others, through class preparation, group-based exercises and assessment.
Reading List
A detailed reading list will be provided at the outset of the course.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Students will develop the skills of working independently in the critical analysis of legal and non-legal source materials. They will gain experience in establishing the relevance of non-legal academic disciplines to understanding the formation and content of primary legal doctrines on human rights law and its current development. Clarity of written and spoken expression of abstract concepts will be an essential attribute to successful participation in the course. By interactive discussion, they will learn the value of shared dialogue to the formation and refinement of their thinking.
Additional Class Delivery Information the first seminar will take place on Monday 19th September 2017; 11am - 1pm in Room 1.17 Dugald Stewart Building.
KeywordsHuman Rights,European Convention on Human Rights,Socioeconomic Rights,Freedom of Expression,UN
Contacts
Course organiserDr Asanga Welikala
Tel: (0131 6)50 6520
Email: Asanga.Welikala@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Tracy Noden
Tel: (0131 6)50 2053
Email: Tracy.Noden@ed.ac.uk
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