HU200-6-FY-CO:
Human Rights, Regional Systems & Global Challenges
2025/26
Human Rights Centre (Essex Law School)
Colchester Campus
Full Year
Undergraduate: Level 6
Current
Thursday 02 October 2025
Friday 26 June 2026
30
08 August 2025
Requisites for this module
HU100
(none)
(none)
(none)
HU300
The module provides a comprehensive analysis of a selection of the most important domestic, regional and universal human rights agreements, as well as the bodies and organisations entrusted with the legal obligation to uphold and enforce those international human rights standards and protections. Human rights are analysed from a multidisciplinary perspective.
The aims of this module are:
- To develop deeper knowledge of core human rights.
- To foster a broader understanding of human rights in context, including their historical and social influences.
- To cultivate a nuanced understanding of the different ways to achieve justice after human rights violations.
- To develop understanding of regional human rights systems.
By the end of the module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Understand and critically analyse human rights and social justice issues by reference to their social, political, and historical contexts.
- Understand and critically evaluate attempts to achieve justice after human rights violations.
- Analyse and critically evaluate the key United Nations bodies involved in setting, implementing and enforcing states' human rights obligations.
- Critically examine and evaluate the structure and role of regional human rights systems.
- Critically analyse and evaluate the primary institutions and mechanisms designed to ensure compliance with human rights standards at the domestic level and their relationship to regional and international bodies.
- Apply critical analysis skills and knowledge to analyse the role of human rights in society.
The module examines universal, regional and domestic mechanisms for the promotion and protection of human rights, analysing rights across the United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies, the United Nations Charter System: The Human Rights Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as the major regional human rights systems.
This module will be delivered via:
- One 2-hour lecture/seminar per week.
Students are expected to undertake the reading before classes and be prepared to engage in discussion.
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Autumn Essay (HU200 Human Rights, Regional Systems and Global Challenges) |
|
50% |
| Coursework |
Spring Essay (HU200 Human Rights, Regional Systems and Global Challenges) |
|
50% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Patricia Palacios Zuloaga, email: p.palacioszuloaga@essex.ac.uk.
The Law Education Admin Team - lawschoolug@essex.ac.uk
No
Yes
No
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
Of 40 hours, 32 (80%) hours available to students:
8 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.
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The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications and module directory.
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