This is a course on international and comparative human rights law. It is a course that aspires to consider ways in which we can all ‘do human rights law better’.
In this course students will be encouraged to think about international and comparative human rights law from first principles. The course classes and reading materials will encourage you to consider and reconsider many assumptions commonly made about human rights law, but also to answer this question: to what extent is human rights law consistent, predictable, internally coherent, and capable of acting as a guide to states, citizens, lawyers, officials, and judges?
In considering these questions, emphasis will be on examining examples of international human rights reasoning in fine detail, especially at the regional level. Students will be encouraged to read case extracts, and full cases, closely and critically. The extremely influential jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights will receive particular attention.
Criticism of the quality of legal reasoning in human rights documents/judgments will be encouraged, and it will not be assumed that broader, more expansive, legal protection of human rights is always a good thing.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Synthesise and apply core and advanced concepts and terminology of international and comparative human rights law as used in the key primary and secondary sources;
- Design, implement and review a range of theoretical approaches to the primary and secondary source material;
- Identify and critically examine in written and oral form a range of perspectives and values that are relevant to international and comparative human rights law;
- Construct appropriate responses to a complex question of international and comparative human right law using a range of research principles, methods and tools;
- Explain and examine whether, and if so, to what extent, human rights law provides coherent predictable consistent guidance to states, courts, lawyers, officials, and citizens; and
- Plan and execute a research project with independence in order to produce original scholarship on a particular identified area of human rights law.
Other Information
Approximately six weeks from the completion of the on campus component the final assessment will be due.
Contact with fellow students and the convenor, both prior to the intensive and after, is conducted via the Wattle course site.
Indicative Assessment
- The proposed means of assessment for this course will provide students with at least two pieces of assessment, including one piece during the teaching period. More information about the means of assessment, including the relationship between the assessment and the learning outcomes of the course, will be available in the Class Summary and on the course WATTLE page. (null) [LO null]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
- Classes offered in non-standard sessions will be taught on an intensive base with compulsory contact hours (approximately 26 hours of face to face teaching). The course will also require advanced preparation through assigned readings. In total, it is anticipated that the hours required for completion of this course (class preparation, teaching and completion of assessment) will not exceed 120 hours.
- Classes offered during semester periods are expected to have three contact hours per week.
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Inherent Requirements
N/A
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Students must rely on the approved Class Summary which will be posted to the Programs and Courses site approximately two weeks prior to the commencement of the course. Alternatively, this information will be published in the Program course list when known.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 34
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $4980 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $6360 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
