HU200-5-FY-CO:
Human Rights, Regional Systems & Global Challenges

The details
2025/26
Human Rights Centre (Essex Law School)
Colchester Campus
Full Year
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
Thursday 02 October 2025
Friday 26 June 2026
30
01 July 2024

 

Requisites for this module
HU100
(none)
(none)
SC233

 

HU300

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 L2M8 Politics with Human Rights (Including Foundation 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

During the autumn term this module will provide a comprehensive introduction to a selection of the most important human rights bodies and organisations entrusted with the legal obligation to uphold and enforce international human rights standards and protections.

The spring term will provide the multidisciplinary student cohort with interdisciplinary human rights teaching from different approaches to human rights and social justice according to the expertise of teaching staff from other departments.

Module aims

The module aims to consolidate the human rights knowledge acquired in first year of the joint degree programme. Once the foundational materials (UN structures, regional systems, national provisions) are grounded during the first half of the module, the spring term opens the student cohort to other, diverse approaches to human rights and social justice.

A pedagogical story arc through the lens of theory & practice will serve to prepare 2nd year students for 3rd year where they are educated about contemporary challenges in the protection of human rights globally. In addition, this multidisciplinary pedagogical approach aims to support students to think critically and analytically about human rights.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module students will have gained:

1. Knowledge of the key United Nations bodies involved in setting, implementing and enforcing states’ human rights obligations.

2. Knowledge of the structure and role of regional human rights systems.

3. Knowledge of 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.

4. Deepened understanding of human rights and social justice issues by reference to their social, political, and historical contexts.

Module information

Indicative Syllabus:

Week 2 Introduction: universal, regional and domestic mechanisms for the promotion and protection of human rights
Week 3 The United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies
Week 4 The United Nations Charter System: The Human Rights Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Week 5 European System
Week 6 European System
Week 7 Inter-American System
Week 8 Inter-American System
Week 9 African System
Week 10 National Human Rights Institutions
Week 11 National Courts and the Protection of Human Rights
Week 16 Introduction to multidisciplinary Human Rights (spring term)
Weeks 17-19 History & Human Rights
Weeks 20-22 Politics of Human Rights
Weeks 23-25 Sociology & Human Rights

Learning and teaching methods

The module will consist of a weekly two-hour in person lecture/seminar.

Bibliography

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 Deadline Coursework weighting

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
Dr Patricia Palacios Zuloaga, email: p.palacioszuloaga@essex.ac.uk.
Various academics
Law Eductaion Administraton Team - lawschoolug@essex.ac.uk

 

Availability
Yes
Yes
Yes

External examiner

No external examiner information available for this module.
Resources
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.

 

Further information

Disclaimer: The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its Module Directory is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can be necessary to make changes, for example to programmes, modules, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include a change of law or regulatory requirements, industrial action, lack of demand, departure of key personnel, change in government policy, or withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to modules may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery or assessment of modules and other services, to discontinue modules and other services and to merge or combine modules. 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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