University of Essex

HU300-6-FY-CO:
Selected Issues in Human Rights

The details

Year: 2025/26

Department: Human Rights Centre (Essex Law School)

Campus: Colchester Campus

Term: Full Year

Level: Undergraduate: Level 6

Status: Current

Start date: Thursday 02 October 2025

End date: Friday 26 June 2026

Credits: 30

Last updated: 20 March 2025

Requisites for this module

Pre-requisites: HU200

Co-requisites: (none)

Pre and / or co-requisites: (none)

Prohibited modules: (none)

Key module (requisite for): (none)

Key module for

BA V1L2 History with Human Rights,
BA V1L8 History with Human Rights (Including Foundation Year),
BA V1LF History with Human Rights (Including Year Abroad),
BA V1LG History with Human Rights (Including Placement Year),
BA T7M8 Latin American studies with Human Rights (Including Foundation Year),
BA T7M9 Latin American Studies with Human Rights,
BA V5M8 Philosophy with Human Rights (Including Foundation Year),
BA V5M9 Philosophy with Human Rights,
BA V5MX Philosophy with Human Rights (Including Year Abroad),
BA V6M9 Philosophy with Human Rights (Including Placement Year),
BA VLM8 Philosophy with Human Rights (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad),
BA L219 Politics with Human Rights (Including Placement Year),
BA L2M9 Politics with Human Rights,
BA LFM9 Politics with Human Rights (Including Year Abroad),
BA L3J9 Sociology with Human Rights (Including Placement Year),
BA L3M9 Sociology with Human Rights,
BA LMJ9 Sociology with Human Rights (Including Year Abroad),
LLB MM20 Law with Human Rights,
LLB MM20WS Law with Human Rights,
LLB MM21 Law with Human Rights (Including Year Abroad),
LLB MM22 Law with Human Rights (Including Placement Year),
LLB MM30 Law with Human Rights (Including Foundation Year),
BA P570 Journalism with Human Rights,
BA P571 Journalism with Human Rights (Including Year Abroad),
BA P572 Journalism with Human Rights (Including Placement Year),
BA LL37 Social Anthropology with Human Rights,
BA LL38 Social Anthropology with Human Rights (Including Year Abroad),
BA LL39 Social Anthropology with Human Rights (Including Placement Year),
BA L914 Global Studies with Human Rights,
BA L916 Global Studies with Human Rights (Including Foundation Year),
BA L917 Global Studies with Human Rights (Including Placement Year),
BA L918 Global Studies with Human Rights (Including Year Abroad),
BA V301 Curating, Heritage and Human Rights,
BA V302 Curating, Heritage and Human Rights (Including Foundation Year),
BA V303 Curating, Heritage and Human Rights (Including Placement Year),
BA V304 Curating, Heritage and Human Rights (Including Year Abroad)

Module description

This module seeks to provide students with an in-depth and multi-disciplinary understanding of the relevance and role of human rights to a number of contemporary issues. Topics are examined, such as exploring the meaning of rights for those most vulnerable and marginalised in society: women’s rights, minority rights, socio-economic rights & poverty, the rights of persons with disabilities and indigenous peoples’ rights.

Module aims

The aims of this module are:

To deepen knowledge and skills on human rights in context.

To examine the relevance and role of human rights to a number of contemporary issues.

To foster an understanding of selected substantive human rights in national, regional and global contexts.

To introduce students to comparative human rights analysis.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students will be expected to be able to:

Understand and critically analyse select contemporary human rights issues from a range of different perspectives.

Critically analyse and evaluate key normative concepts and ideas, such as equality, human dignity and non-discrimination, and comprehend both the historical bases and the philosophical arguments underpinning the modern rights infrastructure.

Understand the human rights frameworks (international, regional, domestic) and critically analyse how these interact with regards to specific human rights issues and cases.

Synthesise and present human rights arguments in a range of communication settings.

Apply skills and knowledge to analyse the role of human rights in society.

Module information

The module takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of human rights, exploring a range of contemporary themes through international, regional, and national perspectives. Students will examine institutional frameworks for human rights protection, including the United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies, the United Nations Charter System—specifically, the Human Rights Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights—as well as major regional human rights systems. The module also considers the role of social movements and advocates in shaping and expanding human rights protections.

Learning and teaching methods

This module will be delivered via:

Weekly two-hour seminar

Bibliography*

Sriram, C.L., Martin-Ortega, O. and Herman, J. (2017b) 'The Interplay Between War and Human Rights', in War, Conflict and Human Rights. 3rd edition. London: Taylor & Francis Ltd. Available at: https://www-taylorfrancis-com.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/chapters/mono/10.4324/9781315277523-1/interplay-war-human-rights-chandra-lekha-sriram-olga-martin-ortega-johanna-herman?context=ubx&refId=6263cf94-bc1e-4209-b815-2e7713a9ff58.
Sriram, C.L., Martin-Ortega, O. and Herman, J. (2017a) 'Conflict: Fundamentals and Debates', in War, Conflict and Human Rights. 3rd edition. London: Taylor & Francis Ltd. Available at: https://www-taylorfrancis-com.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/chapters/mono/10.4324/9781315277523-2/conflict-chandra-lekha-sriram-olga-martin-ortega-johanna-herman?context=ubx.
Sriram, C.L. (2013a) 'Introduction', in Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding on the Ground: Victims and Ex-combatants. Abingdon: Routledge.
Baker, C. and Obradovic-Wochnik, J. (2016) 'Mapping the Nexus of Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding', Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, 10(3), pp. 281–301. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/17502977.2016.1199483.
Zarkov, D. (2017) 'From Women and War to Gender and Conflict? Feminist Trajectories', in F. Ní Aoláin et al. (eds) The Oxford Handbook of Gender and Conflict. Oxford University Press, pp. 17–34. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199300983.001.0001.
Otto, D. (2017) 'Women, Peace, and Security: A Critical Analysis of the Security Council's Vision', in F. Ní Aoláin et al. (eds) The Oxford Handbook of Gender and Conflict. Oxford University Press, pp. 105–118. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199300983.001.0001.
General Assembly Security Council (2020) 'Children and Armed Conflict - Report of the Secretary-General'. United Nations. Available at: https://www.un.org/sg/sites/www.un.org.sg/files/atoms/files/15-June-2020_Secretary-General_Report_on_CAAC_Eng.pdf.
Duffy, A. (2023) 'Lesser-Known Forms of State Torture during the Northern Ireland Conflict'.
Matthew Evans & David Wilkins, Transformative Justice (2019) 'Transformative Justice, Reparations and Transatlantic Slavery', Social & Legal Studies, 28(2). Available at: http://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?public=false&handle=hein.journals/solestu28&id=137.
Abraham, M. (2022) 'Pandemics', in D. Moeckli, S. Shah, and S. Sivakumaran (eds) International human rights law. Fourth edition. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. Available at: https://doi-org.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/10.1093/he/9780198860112.003.0032.
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (27AD) 'Emergency Measures and COVID-19: Guidance'. Available at: https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Events/EmergencyMeasures_COVID19.pdf.
'International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: Article 4' (no date). Available at: https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/international-covenant-civil-and-political-rights#article-4.
'International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: Article 12' (no date). Available at: https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/international-covenant-economic-social-and-cultural-rights#article-12.
'CCPR General Comment No. 29: Article 4: Derogations during a State of Emergency' (no date). Available at: https://www.refworld.org/legal/general/hrc/2001/en/30676.

The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam	Description	Coursework weighting
Coursework	Essay (HU300 Selected Issues in Human Rights)	50%
Coursework	Report I (HU300 Selected Issues in Human Rights)	25%
Coursework	Report 2 (HU300 Selected Issues in Human Rights)	25%

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

Coursework	Exam
100%	0%

Reassessment

Coursework	Exam
100%	0%

Module supervisor and teaching staff

Supervisor: Dr Aoife Duffy, email: aoife.duffy@essex.ac.uk.

Teaching staff:

Contact details: Law UG Education Administrators - lawschoolug@essex.ac.uk

Availability

Available to incoming Essex Abroad / Exchange students: Yes

Available to Outside Option: No

Available to Audit: Yes

External examiner

No external examiner information available for this module.

Resources

Teaching materials: Available via Moodle

Lecture recording:* Of 1596 hours, 18 (1.1%) hours available to students:
1578 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).

Further information

Department website: Human Rights Centre (Essex Law School)

* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.

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Module Directory

HU300-6-FY-CO:Selected Issues in Human Rights