Minor in Human Rights
Multilingual
15
credits
For students entering the program at the Sophomore level
(holders of a recognized Baccalaureate or Freshman diploma - equivalent to 30 credits)
Courses
Minor Requirements
DRG210.1General Constitutional Law
3 credits
The course presents the concepts of constitutional law based on two main ideas: authority and freedom. This vision is founded according to the bodies constituting the public powers, their functions and their relationships between each other and the governed population.
DRG225International Public Law
3 credits
This course enables students to learn about the subjects of international law and their legal status; such as, states, organizations, and private persons, and the sources of international law; such as, treaties, customs, general principles, unilateral acts, jurisprudence, etc. The course also discusses the general questions of international law, i.e. questions of law making, sovereignty, jurisdiction, responsibility, enforcement, the settlement of disputes, and specific topics such as the use of force.
DRG340International Humanitarian Law
2 credits
This course aims at introducing and examining the foundations and key principles and rules of the law of war (also known as the law of armed conflict or international humanitarian law, IHL) applicable in times of armed conflict. IHL is comprised of norms designed to humanize and limit the effect of warfare. This course provides students with an overview of the history of IHL, its normative logic and its conditions of applicability as well as an understanding of the main substantive norms. The themes of the course include the sources of IHL, the definition of an armed conflict and the distinction between international armed conflict and non-international armed conflict, the status of persons not taking part or no longer taking part in hostilities, the rules and principles on the conduct of hostilities regulating the means and method of warfare, the means of implementation and enforcement of IHL as well as the interplay between this body of norms and international human rights law.
DRG393.1Civic Liberties
2 credits
This course provides, on the one hand, an understanding of the general theory of fundamental rights and freedoms, with an emphasis on the domestic and international safeguards of fundamental rights, as well as the mechanisms of protection to ensure their observance. The second part analyzes the legal regime of the protected fundamental freedoms, including the right to respect the dignity of a human being, the principle of equality, and civil and political liberties.
DRG395International Human Rights Law
2 credits
This course is a survey course in international human rights law in order to introduce the students to the basic principles of international human rights and the institutions that operate in this area of the law.
DRG463International Criminal Law
3 credits
This course covers international criminal law from the application of domestic and international law to questions of jurisdiction over international criminal activities, the granting of amnesty to persons responsible for international crimes, international cooperation in criminal matters, substantive international law as contained in multilateral treaties concerning war crimes and terrorism, and the permanent International Criminal Court.
Mission
The minor in human rights is an option for students who are interested in this rapidly developing field of the 21st century. The curriculum reflects the growing interest in human rights throughout the world – even as violations persist, and debate continues over the meaning and understanding of human rights. Many of the courses in the minor have an international approach. This program helps to prepare students for a career in research, working in NGOs that advocate for and monitor human rights compliance, or government agencies.
Program Educational Objectives
1. In the minor, students receive interdisciplinary instruction in domestic and international issues relating to human rights and civil liberties.
2. Students will have the opportunity to explore the history and structure of formal human rights and international law.
3. Students will have the opportunity to study a large number of historical or contemporary human rights struggles.
4. Students will develop a deeper understanding of the impact of international legal practices and organizations.
Program Outcomes
a. Understanding the key functions and significance of human rights and international justice in the international legal order.
b. Acquiring a solid knowledge of international human rights procedural and substantive norms and related institutions.
c. Acquiring the skills to identify national and international violation in the context of case study on alleged prohibited conducts.
d. Analyze and assess critically contemporary challenges related to international human rights.