Human Rights II: Substantive Rights

FaculteitFaculty of Law, Economics and Governance

NiveauMaster

Studiejaar2026-2027

Beschrijving

Course goals

After this course:

The students have thorough knowledge and understanding of different rights in the human rights regime, can distinguish them based on their nature and characteristics, and can analyze them through various theoretical approaches to public international law;
The students have gained an understanding of current developments and debates in human rights law and can critically analyze the relationship between international law and its political, economic, and socio-cultural contexts;
The students are able to demonstrate via oral argument and engagement with peers an awareness of the effect and limits of the law incorporating perspectives from various cultural and legal traditions, and the multidimensional, national and international aspects that play a role in finding solutions for human rights issues;
The students have developed the capabilities and skills to apply human rights law as an analytical framework and to communicate arguments, motivations, and conclusion - as well as considerations, ideas, and solutions, in a structured, correct, and convincing manner;
The students have developed the capabilities and skills to acquire in-depth knowledge of specific human rights law problems or issues in a short period of time through research of primary materials and engagement with secondary literature.

Content

This course is designed for students interested in human rights, international law, political science, international studies and international development who have taken Human Rights I: Procedures and Institutions. The major part of this course will deal with substantive rights, related to civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. While the various categories of rights are explained, they are also looked at critically, and the indivisibility of rights emphasised. The distinction between absolute and relative rights will be discussed and the system of determining permissible limitations will be introduced and explored, drawing from case law. The course covers not only the international system and the UN, but also regional systems including in the Americas, Africa and Europe. The course will connect class content to current developments and challenges in their protection under international human rights law.

Place of the course in the curriculum:

Compulsory course in the specialisation 'Human Rights'

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