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Human Rights in State and International Politics
Study Course Description
Course Description Statuss:Approved
Course Description Version:3.00
Study Course Accepted:14.08.2024 09:13:28
| Study Course Information | |||||||||
| Course Code: | PZK_077 | LQF level: | Level 6 | ||||||
| Credit Points: | 2.00 | ECTS: | 3.00 | ||||||
| Branch of Science: | Political Science | Target Audience: | Sociology; Social Anthropology; Management Science; Psychology; Communication Science; Marketing and Advertising; Business Management; Political Science | ||||||
| Study Course Supervisor | |||||||||
| Course Supervisor: | Ilze Bērziņa | ||||||||
| Study Course Implementer | |||||||||
| Structural Unit: | Faculty of Social Sciences | ||||||||
| The Head of Structural Unit: | |||||||||
| Contacts: | Dzirciema street 16, Rīga, szf rsu[pnkts]lv | ||||||||
| Study Course Planning | |||||||||
| Full-Time - Semester No.1 | |||||||||
| Lectures (count) | 6 | Lecture Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Lectures | 12 | ||||
| Classes (count) | 4 | Class Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Classes | 8 | ||||
| Total Contact Hours | 20 | ||||||||
| Study course description | |||||||||
| Preliminary Knowledge: | Basic Understanding of International Relations: familiarity with the key concepts, theories, and historical developments within the field of international relations. Foundational Knowledge of Political Science: an understanding of political systems, governance structures, and political behavior at both the national and international levels. Awareness of Global Issues: a general awareness of current global issues, including geopolitical conflicts, international cooperation, and global governance mechanisms. Critical Thinking and Analysis Skills: the ability to critically analyze texts, arguments, and policies, as well as to synthesize complex information from multiple sources. Research Skills: basic research skills, including the ability to locate, evaluate, and use information from a variety of sources such as academic articles, reports, and official documents. Academic Writing and Presentation skills: Competence in academic writing and the ability to present ideas clearly and coherently, both in writing and orally. | ||||||||
| Objective: | The course will introduce the fundamental principles of human rights and the role of human rights in international relations, analyzing international human rights instruments and documents, as well as international and regional practices in the implementation of human rights. The aim of the course is to ensure that students gain an understanding of the fundamental principles of human rights, as well as the ability to navigate current human rights issues, identify human rights violations, and be familiar with the main methods of human rights monitoring and protection. | ||||||||
| Topic Layout (Full-Time) | |||||||||
| No. | Topic | Type of Implementation | Number | Venue | |||||
| 1 | Introduction to the topic. Evolution of human rights. UN human rights protection system. Understanding of human rights in different cultures. | Lectures | 1.00 | E-Studies platform | |||||
| 2 | Individual rights: The European Convention and its protocols for the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 3 | Individual rights: Mechanisms for monitoring human rights in Latvia and worldwide. Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in cases against the state of Latvia. | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 4 | Individual rights: The European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (continuation). Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights against the state of Latvia and their impact in Latvia. | Lectures | 1.00 | E-Studies platform | |||||
| 5 | Environmental rights, Bioethics and Human Rights. | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 6 | Prevention of Discrimination. Universal and regional documents. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 7 | Rights of minorities (national minorities). Hate crimes and issues of refugee rights. Minority rights to political participation. | Lectures | 1.00 | E-Studies platform | |||||
| 8 | Economic, social, and cultural rights, economic globalization, and human rights. | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 9 | Conflict resolution theory and techniques. Jus ad bellum. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 10 | International law of war (humanitarian law) and international criminal tribunals. Jus in bellum. | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Assessment | |||||||||
| Unaided Work: | Analysis of legislation and court rulings involves studying and analyzing specific European Court of Human Rights judgments against the State of Latvia, highlighting their impact on the Latvian legal system and practices. Research work on environmental law and bioethics requires conducting research on current issues in environmental rights and bioethics, integrating the human rights perspective. Analysis of discrimination and minority rights involves developing a study on these topics. In order to evaluate the quality of the study course as a whole, the student must fill out the study course evaluation questionnaire on the Student Portal. | ||||||||
| Assessment Criteria: | Active participation in seminars and discussions: The opportunity to demonstrate an understanding of the course material and actively participate in course discussions. Independent work involves developing and submitting research papers that examine specific human rights issues or court judgments, analyzing them critically and offering potential solutions. Examinations or final projects are assessments of course material comprehension, which can include both theoretical questions and practical case analysis. Presentations involve presenting the results of one's research or independent work, demonstrating the ability to clearly and comprehensibly explain one's research topic and findings. | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Full-Time): | Exam (Written) | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Part-Time): | |||||||||
| Learning Outcomes | |||||||||
| Knowledge: | As a result of the course, students gain in-depth knowledge and skills about human rights, their evolution, various human rights protection mechanisms both in Latvia and globally, as well as understanding of human rights in different cultures. Moreover, students learn about the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights and their impact in Latvia, environmental law, bioethics, discrimination prevention, minority rights, economic, social, and cultural rights, as well as conflict resolution theory and international humanitarian law. | ||||||||
| Skills: | The ability to express one's opinion convincingly, participate in discussions, and defend one's position on human rights issues. The ability to critically evaluate information, identify problems, and seek solutions. | ||||||||
| Competencies: | The ability to analyze and interpret court rulings, legal documents, and international practices in the field of human rights. The ability to conduct independent research using various sources of information, including legislation, court decisions, and scientific literature. | ||||||||
| Bibliography | |||||||||
| No. | Reference | ||||||||
| Required Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | Literatūra pieejama latviešu un angļu valodā, ārvalstu studentiem jāizmanto tikai literatūra angļu valodā | ||||||||
| 2 | "Human Rights: A Very Short Introduction" by Andrew Clapham. Oxford University Press. Latest Edition (2015) | ||||||||
| 3 | "The European Convention on Human Rights: A Commentary" by William A. Schabas. Oxford University Press. Latest Edition (2015) | ||||||||
| 4 | "International Human Rights Law" by Daniel Moeckli, Sangeeta Shah, and Sandesh Sivakumaran. Cambridge University Press. Latest Edition (2022) | ||||||||
| 5 | Tarunabh Khaitan. A Theory of Discrimination Law. (2015) | ||||||||
| 6 | Irēna Barkāne. Cilvēktiesību nozīme mākslīgā intelekta laikmetā. Privātums, datu aizsardzība un regulējums masveida novērošanas novēršanai. Rīga: LU Akadēmiskais apgāds (2023) | ||||||||
