Course for international guest/part time students

Faculty

Faculty of Social Sciences

Organization

TÁTK Department of Political Sciences

Code

IRB112

Title

Human Rights seminar

Usual semester

Spring

Published semester

2025/26/2

ECTS

5

Language

en

Learning outcomes

The course discusses foundational theories of human rights and their main criticisms, and the justifications for limitations by analysing academic essays. It will pay particular attention to so-called classical "hard cases", but also to actual human rights issues like e.g. the possibilities and human rights limits of counterterrorism, or to what extent harm caused by private persons, including firms can be meaningfully discussed within the human rights framework, and the wider context of human rights and globalization.

Course content

Eötvös Loránd University                         Academic Year 2021/2022 Faculty of Social Sciences                             Spring Semester Institute of Political and International Studies Department of International and European Studies COURSE SYLLABUS Human Rights Seminar IRB112-5 Alexandra Sipos, PhD sipos.alexandra@elte.tatk.hu Objectives of the course: The course (Human Rights Seminar) includes topics on the history and critiques of human rights framework and theories, focusing on practical questions. It furthermore tackles socially relevant fundamental human rights debate. This seminar aims to familiarize students with theoretical aspects and the basics of the human rights framework and these aspects’ practical aspects (moral dilemmas, balance of rights). It focuses on strengthening the students’ critical thinking, debating, and presentation skills about human rights questions. During this seminar, students will read official legal texts and academic texts, watch short movies/clips, and interpret them. Students are expected to deliver a presentation and a related handout, actively participate during the seminar (eg. group work, debate questions). General overview of the course: 8 February 2022 Introduction Literature and other sources: Students are expected to read the first draft of the syllabus uploaded to Neptun and Coospace to have a general understanding of the course’s aim and requirements. Literature: Rowan Cruft, S. Matthew Liao, Massimo Renzo: The Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights, An Overview. In: Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. (eds. Rowan Cruft, S. Matthew Liao, Massimo Renzo) Oxford University Press, 2015. 15 February 2022 The institutionalization of human rights Homework: Collect names of international and regional institutions which are relevant in the institutionalization of human rights. Literature: Historical development and contemporary concerns. In: Andrew Clapham: Human Rights: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2015. 2nd ed. Allen Buchanan: Why International Legal Human Rights? In: Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. (eds. Rowan Cruft, S. Matthew Liao, Massimo Renzo) Oxford University Press, 2015. Additional material: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR), 1950 Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, 2012 22 February 2022 Critiques of the human rights discourse Debate question: Are human rights truly universal? Literature: Makau Mutua: Chapter 1 Human Rights as a Metaphor. In: Human Rights: A Political and Cultural Critique. University of Pennsylvania Press. 2002. pp. 10–38 1 March 2022 Citizenship and human rights Debate question: The right to vote should be based on census. Literature: Bryan S. Turner (1997). Citizenship studies: A general theory. Citizenship Studies, 1(1), 5–18. 8 March 2022 Discrimination and hate speech Debate question: Regulations on hate speech are disproportionately limiting one’s freedom of expression. Literature: 3. Why Call Hate Speech Group Libel? In: The Harm in Hate Speech, Cambridge, MA, and London, England: Harvard University Press, 2012, pp. 34-64. https://doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674065086.c4 Jeremy Waldron: The Harm in Hate Speech (Harvard UP, 2012) Chapter 3, 34-41. 15 March 2022 National holiday Revolution of 1848-1849 No class this day – home assignment. 22 March 2022 Gender equality and gender-based violence Debate question: Women’s rights are human rights, thus do not require specific acknowledgment in the human rights system. Literature: Leyla-Denisa Obreja (2019). Human Rights Law and Intimate Partner Violence: Towards an Intersectional Development of Due Diligence Obligations. Nordic Journal of Human Rights, 37(1), 63–80. https://doi:10.1080/18918131.2019.1589209 Additional material: Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), 1979 Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention), 2011 29 March 2022 Gender identity and sexual orientation in the human rights discourse Debate question: The right to self-determination of gender should be protected by law. Literature: Matthew Waites (2009). Critique of “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” in human rights discourse: global queer politics beyond the Yogyakarta Principles. Contemporary Politics, 15(1), 137–156. https://doi:10.1080/13569770802709604 [Chapter to be decided] Phillip M. Ayoub, David Paternotte: LGBT activism and the making of Europe: A rainbow Europe? Palgrave Macmillan, London. 2014 Additional material: The Yogyakarta Principles, 2007; The Yogyakarta Principles Plus 10, 2017 (https://yogyakartaprinciples.org/) 5 April 2022 Right to marry Debate question: Should States regulate and recognize the partnership of consenting adults or leave it in the realm of the private sphere? / Is there a right to marry and if so, should States regulate it? Literature: 5. Critiques of Marriage. In: Elizabeth Brake: Minimizing marriage: Marriage, morality, and the law. Oxford University Press, 2011. John Stuart Mill: The Subjection of Women. 12 April 2022 Freedom of religion Debate question: Religious symbols as part of the freedom of religious expression should be banned from public spaces. Additional material for group work: Eweida and Others v. the United Kingdom, no. 48420/10 Judgment in Joined Cases C-804/18 and C-341/19 WABE and MH Müller Handel 19 April 2022 Spring break (13-19 April) No class this day. 26 April 2022 Migration and asylum Debate question: The international legal norms concerning refugee protection are effectively implemented everywhere. Literature: Erika Feller: The Refugee Convention at 60: still fit for purpose? Protection tools for protection needs. In: Refugee Protection and the Role of Law: Conflicting Identities cover (eds. Susan Kneebone, Dallal Stevens, Loretta Baldassar) Routledge, 2014 Additional material: Convention and protocol relating to the status of refugees Migration (Directed by Hugo Caby, Antoine Dupriez, Aubin Kubiak, Lucas Lermytte, Zoé Devise) Short of the Week 3 May 2022 Right to health and a healthy environment Literature: 27. Jonathan Wolff: The Content of the Human Right to Health. In: Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights. (eds. Rowan Cruft, S. Matthew Liao, Massimo Renzo) Oxford University Press, 2015. Alan Boyle (2012). Human Rights and the Environment: Where Next? The European Journal of International Law, (23,3) 613–642 https://doi:10.1093/ejil/chs054 10 May 2022 Rights of animals and AI Debate question: The human-centric view of the human rights framework should be expanded to include non-human sentient beings. Literature: [Chapter to be decided] Animal Rights: Current Debates and New Directions (eds. Cass R. Sunstein, Martha C. Nussbaum) Oxford University Press, 2004. - General information Communication: The main communication channel is email. Other platforms used during the semester will be Coospace and Microsoft Teams. On Neptun, you shall receive your final grade as well as important information related to the course work. Office hours: Office hours can be scheduled on MS Teams on a weekday based on email requests from students.

Assessment method

Requirements and course work: Active participation Presentation + written handout Presence Debates and group work 1) Active participation – Students are required to participate actively during the seminar (including preparing for each class by reading the course material) as their participation is taken into account when giving the final grade. Students may be given homework to help them easily understand academic texts regarding human rights. 2) Attendance – Students are required to attend the seminar. Each student can remain absent a maximum of three times during the semester following the Academic Regulations for Students Section 66. At the beginning of each class, an attendance sheet will be used during the in-person classes. Otherwise, the presence and absence of students will be marked on Coospace to have a transparent monitoring tool. 3) Presentation – Each student is expected to give a presentation of 15-20 minutes in length on their chosen topic from class VII to class XII. They are also required to submit a handout of their presentation (2 A/4 pages [12 pt, single spacing]) 12 hours before the presentation is due. 4) Debates and group work – Under “Active participation”, group work assignments will be given to students to encourage them to reflect on the topics of the course. These assignments will focus on their ability to argue effectively, use critical thinking, and present their ideas clearly. In case the course has “Debate question” listed, students are required to prepare ahead of the class with pro and contra arguments (1-1 minute). Evaluation: Active participation – 20% Presentation + written handout – 60% Presence Debates and group work – 20% Have a look at the following documents: Academic Calendar https://www.elte.hu/en/academic-calendar Academic Regulations for Students https://www.elte.hu/en/dstore/document/1/ELTE_SZMSZ_II_EN.pdf (Chapter IV) Thesis and Final Examination Requirements https://tatk.elte.hu/dstore/document/1225/International_relations_BA_ENG_zv.pd

Bibliography

Readings are uploaded to the Coospace scene.

Programmes of the course