Human Rights Law

Course aim

By the end of this course, students should be able to identify the major international human rights instruments governing international human rights and the related procedures and policies of the United Nations, International Tribunals and International Human Rights Treaty Bodies. The course examines the ongoing development of international human rights through these institutions and dispute resolution mechanisms. It also examines the jurisprudence surrounding and social impact of international human rights instruments in domestic law.

Course content

The course content will be drawn from the following topics:

1. The historical development of the modern international human rights framework.
2. The International Bill of Rights – centring on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
3. Mechanisms for Enforcement: International tribunals, treaty bodies and the Office of High Commissioner of Human Rights.
4. Selected issues on human rights, including:
   1. international human rights and humanitarian intervention, with refugees as an example;
   2. Indigenous rights;
   3. human rights and the intersection with religion and sexuality;
   4. Rights protected against Governmental interference in Bills of Rights (eg intrusions into property, privacy and the liberty of the individual).
   5. The right to development.
5. International Human Rights Law and the Domestic Legal System: the Australian legal landscape in the absence of a Bill of Rights

Textbook(s)

Bailey P 2009, The Human Rights Enterprise in Australia and Internationally, Lexis Nexis Butterworths, Chatswood NSW

Prerequisite(s)

Common to all relevant programs
Subject Area & Catalogue Number	Course Name
LAWS 2008	Australian Federal Constitutional Law
LAWS 1013	Legal Research and Writing

Requisite courses or at the discretion of the course coordinator.

Corequisite(s)

Nil

Teaching method

Component	Duration
INTERNAL, CITY WEST
Lecture	2 hours x 10 weeks
Seminar	2 hours x 10 weeks

Note: These components may or may not be scheduled in every study period. Please refer to the timetable for further details.

Assessment

Essay, Research plan: written assessment piece, Seminar presentation for research plan: oral presentation

Fees

EFTSL*: 0.125
Commonwealth Supported program (Band 3)
To determine the fee for this course as part of a Commonwealth Supported program, go to:
How to determine your Commonwealth Supported course fee. (Opens new window)

Fee-paying program for domestic and international students
International students and students undertaking this course as part of a postgraduate fee paying program must refer to the relevant program home page to determine the cost for undertaking this course.

Non-award enrolment
Non-award tuition fees are set by the university. To determine the cost of this course, go to:
How to determine the relevant non award tuition fee. (Opens new window)

Not all courses are available on all of the above bases, and students must check to ensure that they are permitted to enrol in a particular course.

* Equivalent Full Time Study Load. Please note: all EFTSL values are published and calculated at ten decimal places. Values are displayed to three decimal places for ease of interpretation.