EVSb2034 Introduction to Study of Human Rights

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2020
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Hubert Smekal, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. et Mgr. Ľubomír Majerčík, LL.M. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Hubert Smekal, Ph.D.
Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Olga Cídlová, DiS.
Supplier department: Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Mon 10:00–11:40 M117
Prerequisites (in Czech)
! EVS134 Introd. to St. of Hum. Rights && !NOW( EVS134 Introd. to St. of Hum. Rights )
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/20, only registered: 0/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 90 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to introduce students to basic findings in the area of human rights. Thanks to analysis of historical and philosophical sources of the studied matters, student will be acquainted with general idea of human rights, which will be further particularised by introduction to the most important systems of human rights protection, with the special attention devoted to situation in Europe. Theoretical part of the course will be complemented with actual practical application of human rights protection by international authorities of judicial type. Student will be able to describe basic documents from the field, understand and explain most important theoretical approaches, and, explain functioning and case-law of decision-making of international institutions, and assess practical impacts of human rights protection. Seminars will be dedicated to actual problems of the subject and open discussion is most welcome.
Learning outcomes
Students will become familiar with fundamentals of human rights debates and will be able to apply human rights perspective on current issues.
Syllabus
  • 1) Introduction
  • 2) Explanation of basic terms (definitions; universalism; definitions of rights; generations of rights; classifications)
  • 3) Philosophical sources of human rights
  • 4) Various cultures and their approach to human rights
  • 5) Historical development of human rights protection
  • 6) Mid-semester test
  • 7) UN and human rights (the UN Charter, Universal Declaration, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights)
  • 8) Human rights protection in Europe (Council of Europe, OSCE, EU)
  • 9) Human rights protection in the framework of the Council of Europe (European Convention on Human Rights, European Court of Human Rights)
  • 10) Non-European systems of human rights protection
  • 11) International criminal justice
  • 12) Recent developments in human rights protection, discussion
  • 13) Final test Literature: a full list of literature will be available in the application "Study Materials" before each seminar.
Literature
    required literature
  • DUFEK, Pavel and Hubert SMEKAL. Lidská práva v mezinárodní politice (Human Rights in International Politics). Praha: Wolters Kluwer, 2014, 447 pp. ISBN 978-80-7478-720-1. URL info
    not specified
  • DONNELLY, Jack. Universal human rights in theory and practice. 3rd ed. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2013, x, 320. ISBN 9780801477706. info
  • HAAS, Michael. International human rights : a comprehensive introduction. New York, NY: Routledge, 2008, xix, 440. ISBN 9780415774550. info
Teaching methods
Teaching methods include: lectures, guest lectures by practitioners, class discussions, precision of argumentation, use of audiovisual materials (documentary movies) followed by discussions.
Assessment methods
The course is finisehd by an exam. Grading: semester is divided into two blocks – first one is oriented towards theoretical aspects of human rights, the second towards international systems of their protection. After each block students write a test in the PC-classroom. Mid-semester test: maximum of 30 points (one open question) Final test: maximum 40 points (multiple choice test) -------------------------------------------------------------
Total: maximum 70 points
A: 70–66
B: 65–60
C: 59–54
D: 53–48
E: 47–42
------------------
F: 41 and less
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2019, Autumn 2021, Autumn 2022, Autumn 2023, Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2020, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/autumn2020/EVSb2034