This optional module provides students with an understanding of the abstract principles and institutional structures and practices which together amount to the human rights tradition.

It does so by working through five connected topics. Two are theoretical – the philosophical foundations of the idea of human rights, and the political controversies surrounding human rights. The other three are founded on three central human rights documents, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998.

Students are thus introduced to the key ideas and moments in the development of legally enforceable human rights, with particular attention being paid to the role of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, and the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 in producing a regime of domestically enforceable human rights. Broader debates concerning universality and cultural relativity, and the tension between rights and state duties, and between different rights are also examined.

During the teaching of the module students will attend a mixed economy of whole group and small group sessions, averaging three hours’ contact per teaching week

Self-directed study will provide the student with the opportunity to prepare for small group work and to carry out independent research as well as team working.

Whole group: These sessions will introduce themes both theoretical and empirical, starting with an examination of the five topics previously mentioned. The lecturer’s subject expertise will be prominent in guiding the students’ active learning.

The structured programme of whole group sessions will lead to:

Large Group Sessions:

• These sessions will test the students' knowledge and understanding of the material covered in the Whole Group and Independent Learning Sessions.

• The study guide will provide a detailed programme. Preparatory exercises and reading for each session will be on Blackboard.

• These sessions will involve group discussions and collaborative tasks. The emphasis is upon 'learning by doing', where learning takes place through personal experience, social interaction and reflection. In large part these sessions will be structured as debates between two teams of students presenting perspectives on each of the five human rights topics.

• During these sessions students will apply the knowledge gained in the whole group sessions to question in depth social problems.

Small Group Sessions

These sessions will be similar to the large group sessions, focused on the initial understanding of topics developed through independent study, in a smaller group to enable full participation of all students for the whole of the session, without the need to subdivide the group.

The balance between the types of session deployed will in part depend on the number of students recruited to the module – if the whole group is manageable as a large group (ie does not exceed 25 students), then there is no practical distinction between whole group and large group sessions.

Independent Study:
Both the whole and small group sessions will require the student to undertake study to further enhance their knowledge and understanding. The independent study will also provide the student with preparation time for research materials for small group sessions.

TOTAL LEARNING TIME 150 hours

- written assignment (3000 words) assessing all learning outcomes .

This assignment is chosen from a choice of topics which closely shadow the topics on which students have made presentations in workshop sessions. Thus students can make a presentation in a workshop, receive feedback, reflect, and develop the same topic into a coursework essay. They are not however obliged to make their written work based on their presentation, they can select a different topic.

Access to appropriate texts, legislation and case law.
Access to Blackboard.
Module study guide.

1. Demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of the well-established concepts of human rights, the key principles and their development.
Knowledge and
Understanding

2. Demonstrate an understanding of the uncertainty, ambiguity and limits of knowledge
Learning

3. Demonstrate knowledge of the main methods of enquiry in the study of human rights and demonstrate application of the key principles of Information Literacy
Enquiry

4. Use a range of established techniques to initiate and undertake critical analysis of information.
Analysis

5. Evaluate critically the appropriateness of different approaches to solving problems and propose solutions to problems arising from analysis.
Problem Solving

6. Communicate effectively information and arguments in a variety of forms, to specialist and non-specialist audiences, and deploy key techniques of the discipline effectively.
Communication

Ruth Costigan and Richard Stone, Civil Liberties and Human Rights (11th edn, Oxford University Press 2017)

Helen Fenwick, Fenwick on Civil Liberties and Human Rights (5th edn, Routledge 2017)

David Hoffman & John Rowe, Human Rights in the UK: An Introduction to the Human Rights Act 1998 (4th edn, Pearson 2013)

Can you see yourself championing important freedoms and liberties in challenging and controversial circumstances? You will explore important human rights such as the right to life and the absolute prohibition on torture. You will examine the scope of the right to liberty and the right to a fair trial. You will debate the boundaries of two human rights that sometimes conflict with each other, freedom of expression and the right to respect for private and family life. You will apply principles of human rights law to practical scenarios in the areas of medical ethics, employment rights and state measures designed to combat terrorism.