INT2014 The Politics and Institutions of Human Rights
- Number of credits10
- Teaching semester2025 Autumn
- Language of instructionEnglish
- CampusLillehammer
- Required prerequisite knowledge
Recommended prerequisites: World History II, 1945 - today (INT1013) and International Politics (INT1015)
This course examines the politics and institutions of international human rights law. It addresses the emergence of global and regional human rights treaties, the powers and competences of monitoring mechanisms, key features of substantive human rights provisions, and challenges surrounding implementation at the domestic level. This includes:
- The evolution of international human rights as legal rights and human rights institutions since 1945.
- The functions and powers of UN treaty bodies.
- The ECHR system, the jurisdiction and legitimacy of the European Court of Human Rights.
- The design, interpretation and application of civil and political rights.
- The design, interpretation and application of economic, social and cultural rights.
- Ratification, national implementation and compliance with international human rights law.
- Regime type and human rights compliance.
- Hindrances for the realisation of human rights.
Learning Outcome
Having passed the course, the student has gained the following learning outcome:
The student
- knows the evolution of global and regional human rights regimes and the major differences between them as to design and compliance mechanisms.
- knows how states incorporate international human rights conventions in national legal systems.
- knows why human rights conventions are implemented differently and the possibilities and limitations of compliance mechanisms.
- knows how to update their knowledge about the subject matter.
The student
- can explain how different human rights regimes have evolved and what their main differences consist in today.
- can explain reasons why states implement human rights differently and its consequences for the citizens.
- can discuss and evaluate advantages and shortcomings of different kinds of compliance mechanisms.
- can articulate and defend their own viewpoints and positions regarding central problems about the politics and institutions of human rights.
- can apply their knowledge about the politics and institutions of human rights to other (professional and public) debates.
- can orient themselves in the relevant literature and follow standard professional norms of attribution and reference.
- can adjust their professional practice in response to feed-back and supervision.
- can write an academic essay on a given topic related to the politics and institutions of human rights.
The student
- can plan and carry out independent academic projects.
- can plan and carry out team-based academic projects.
- can discuss central academic questions related to the politics and institutions of human rights, both orally and in writing.
- can individually and in a team develop and deliver presentations on central topics in the course and address oral questions at short notice.
The course comprises lectures and seminars.
- The lectures summarise basic concepts, theories and developments in the politics and institutions of human rights.
- Topics from lectures are elaborated in the seminars through active student participation in the form of group work and discussions of written assignments.
- The syllabus literature includes textbooks supported by selected articles and book chapters.
Individual oral exam. The student will present one of their course works, then central themes from the course will be discussed with the examiners.
| Form of assessment | Grading scale | Grouping | Duration of assessment | Support materials | Proportion | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oral examination | ECTS - A-F | Individual |
| 100% |
Reading list
No reading list available for this course