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Duke University

International Human Rights Law: Prospects and Challenges

Duke University via Coursera

This course may be unavailable.

Overview

This course analyzes the international and domestic laws and institutions that protect the fundamental rights of all human beings. The course also describes and evaluates the principal mechanisms and strategies for holding governments accountable for violating those rights.

Students engage with thought-provoking issues that arise at the intersection of human dignity, state sovereignty, and international justice.  Cutting-edge topics include: genocide and humanitarian intervention, the right to life and capital punishment, the right to health and HIV-AIDS, counterterrorism, and LGBT rights.  Students also learn about the international, regional and national mechanisms for monitoring government conduct and redressing violations of human rights, such as United Nations political and expert bodies, international courts, domestic criminal prosecutions, and truth commissions.

Syllabus

Week 1 – What are human rights?

Week 2 – Which human rights are protected in international law?

Week 3 – How are human rights implemented and enforced? – Global Mechanisms

Week 4 – How are human rights implemented and enforced? – Regional Mechanisms

Week 5 – How are human rights implemented and enforced? – National Mechanisms

Week 6 – What are some current and future human rights challenges?

Taught by

Laurence Helfer

Reviews

4.6 rating, based on 7 Class Central reviews

Start your review of International Human Rights Law: Prospects and Challenges

  • This course is recommended to all of you even if it's quite technical in exploring the legal issues about the human rights.
    HR are an important issue and Prof. Helfer also encourages the discussion about it in the forums.
  • Anonymous
    Interesting course, provokative topics, and challenges. Duke-like quality.
  • You will learn whole gamut of Human Rights in this course. This course is helpful for the persons working in NGOs and even for the students doing LLB in Indian Universities.
  • Claudia
  • Dawn D Shaw

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