HU201-5-SP-CO:
Social Dimensions of Human Rights
2016/17
Human Rights Centre (Essex Law School)
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
15
-
Requisites for this module
HU100
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
BA V1L2 History with Human Rights,
BA V1LF History with Human Rights (Including Year Abroad),
BA V1LG History with Human Rights (Including Placement Year),
BA T7M9 Latin American Studies with Human Rights,
BA V5M9 Philosophy with Human Rights,
BA V5MX Philosophy with Human Rights (Including 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 MM21 Law with Human Rights (Including Year Abroad),
LLB MM22 Law with Human Rights (Including Placement Year)
This 10 week module is an introduction to Sociology and Human Rights. It does not assume any prior understanding of sociology.
Section 1 - Sociological theory and humn rights
We begin with an introductory lecture which looks at what classical sociological thinking might have to offer an understanding of human rights, and also consider some criticisms. We then move on in the second week to consider two competing contemporary attempts to formulate a sociology of rights, and in the third week to consider the problem of universalism versus relativism - that is, what does sociology have to say about different cultural values and perspectives in relation to universal rights? This section then ends with a look at the concept of cosmopolitanism, which challenges conceptions of society as bounded by the nation state and leads on to section 2.
Section 2 - Rights across borders
This second section of the module considers a more substantive question which can help to illuminate a sociological approach to rights, and that is the question of rights across borders. We begin with the position of trans-national migrants as compared with the citizens of host countries. Citizenship is the status that grants full membership of society and full rights, so an interesting question is how far universal human rights can over-come state sovereignty in the granting of rights to non-citizens. We consider this question in relation to the graduated system of rights which characterise most immigration regime, 'civic stratification', and look at specific examples related to gender and immigration, and to asylum seekers. Then we consider the other side of rights across borders by asking what rich countries owe to poor ones, and consider the implications of this material for debates about cosmopolitanism.
Conclusion - Researching meaning and agency
In the final week we will look at more practical questions of how to research human rights in a sociological manner, especially focussing on qualitative approaches to questions of meaning and agency. We take examples from a variety of scholars researching a range of different HRs issues.
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No additional information available.
A power point presentation of each lecture will be available via moodle, prior to the lecture, together with a key reading which serves as a background to the topic for that week. The module is taught by a one hour lecture, followed by a one hour class discussion, in which we will discuss key issues raised by the topic for the week.
By the end of this term you should have:
A good understanding of the nature of a sociological approach to human rights
Some sense of what the concept of social construction means in relation to rights
A grasp of what relativism means in relation to rights
An understanding of the concept of civic stratification in relation to rights
An ability to apply it to the example of a) gender and migration, and b) asylum and welfare
An understanding of what is at issue in addressing global inequality
A grasp of some basic issues in relation to methods for researching meaning and agency in relation to human rights
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Summative Essay Question |
|
|
| Exam |
Main exam: 120 minutes during Summer (Main Period)
|
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 Carlos Gigoux
Jamie Seakens, Undergraduate Administrator, telephone: 01206 872529 email: jseakens@essex.ac.uk
Yes
No
No
Dr Damien Short
University of London (Institutes and activities)
Reader, Director of the Human Rights Consortium
Available via Moodle
Of 22 hours, 22 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
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