LAW5072 - Human Rights and Social Justice

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Demonstrate clear understanding of the operation and fundamental principles of both domestic and international human rights, and the relationship between both; the Human Rights Act 1998 and the European Convention on Human Rights; and the relevant domestic and international institutions.
Demonstrate understanding of the rule of law in the context of human rights, as well as institutional, social, cultural, economic, national and global contexts.
Appraise the impact of concepts and values of citizenship, social justice, and ethics, and the role of human rights.
Employ comparative law and critical legal approaches in the synthesis and critical assessment of legislation and case law.
Articulate views and beliefs in a clear and precise manner, using the correct referencing conventions.

Content:

Human rights are established through social norms, and legislation at the national, regional, and international levels. The interaction between these levels is complex and this provides an opportunity for students to develop critical thinking and independent judgement. This module provides a general introduction to human rights law, enabling students to acquire a basic knowledge of the Human Rights Act 1998 and key principles of anti-discrimination legislation. Students on the module will consider issues of social justice and discrimation in the light both of comparative law and of critical legal theory.

This module explores human rights through consideration of key theories and texts and then encourages students to apply and test their findings within current debates about issues of justice and equality. Issues of race, gender and economic injustice that reflect tension between universal principle, and regional and national application, will be integral, but there should be scope to enable consideration of relevant topical issues.

Learning and Teaching Information:

The focus of the first semester is to familiarise students with the the nature of human rights (social, legal, and institutional) and the Human Rights Act of 1998 in particular. The teaching will be student-led and active learning, including presentations and debates, will supplement and enhance scheduled readings and research activity.

The focus of the second semester is to develop the critical capacity to apply understanding of human rights issues to relevant contemporary social and legal debates on discrimination and social justice. In this application the theories are not to be treated as mere tools, but should be subject to challenge and critique. Research will therefore cover both the nature of the current debates about a given social topic and also the critical scholarship around the relation of justice and the law.

The development of a critical hypothesis, the engagement with critical theories and the current nature of scholarly debate will be developed in this module in preparation for the final year research project module.

Workshops/seminars
Hours: 32
Intdended Group Size: cohort

Guided independent study
Hours: 168

The presentation will justify and defend a particular perspective on the relation of the the state, morality and the law. Assessment will be based upon the accuracy of the definition of the relevant concepts and the nature of the relationship between them that is articulated, justified, and defended. Evidence of specific reading and wider understanding will also be essential.

The essay will identify and research a particular topic relevant to human rights (discrimination and social justice). A formative presentation will be used to help test and refine the appropriate scope and value of the proposed approach and topic. Required aspects of the essay will include: effective use of independent research, and appropriate application and critical development of social and critical theories in relation to the law.

Assessment:

001 Presentation; 10mins; end of semester 1 50%
002 Essay; 2,000 words; end of semester 2 50%

Fact File

Module Coordinator - Stephen Forster
Level - 5
Credit Value - 20
Pre-Requisites - NONE
Semester(s) Offered - 5YL

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