Veidlapa Nr. M-3 (8)
Study Course Description
Human Rights: History, Legitimacy, Effectiveness
Course Code
SZF_176
Branch of Science
-
ECTS
3.00
Target Audience
Business Management; Communication Science; Health Management; Information and Communication Science; Juridical Science; Management Science; Marketing and Advertising; Medicine; Nursing Science; Pedagogy; Person and Property Defence; Political Science; Psychology; Public Health; Social Anthropology; Social Welfare and Social Work; Sociology
LQF
All Levels
Study Type And Form
Full-Time
Study Course Implementer
Course Supervisor
Lelde Metla-Rozentāle
Structure Unit Manager
Ieva Puzo
Structural Unit
Faculty of Social Sciences
Contacts
Dzirciema street 16, Rīga, szf@rsu.lv
About Study Course
Objective
The course is designed as an introductory course on human rights suitable for all levels of study, offering students an overview of the development of the European and global human rights systems from the Second World War to the present day.
Preliminary Knowledge
Basic knowledge in politics and international relations, international organizations, and European political history.
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge
1.Students will gain knowledge about the history and development of the human rights system, as well as the role of contemporary international and regional organizations in human rights protection. They will study Latvia's history through the lens of human rights. Students will develop an understanding of debates surrounding the legitimacy of human rights and the main alternatives proposed by major powers and others. Additionally, students will acquire foundational knowledge about contemporary academic discussions on the system's effectiveness and the challenges in measuring it.
Skills
1.Students will be able to locate and evaluate information on human rights concerning various countries and topics, critically assess arguments regarding the system's legitimacy and effectiveness, and actively participate in discussions about human rights globally, in Europe, and in Latvia.
Competences
1.Upon completing the course, students will have developed competencies in critically evaluating human rights information provided by various sources, as well as the ability to analyze historical and contemporary aspects of human rights in international relations.
Assessment
Individual work
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Title
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% from total grade
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Grade
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|---|---|---|
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1.
Individual work |
-
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-
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Students will be required to complete seminar assignments: for each seminar, they must read the assigned mandatory literature as well as other relevant sources, and prepare a summary and analysis of the information. At the end of the course, there will be a written final examination.
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Examination
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Title
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% from total grade
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Grade
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|---|---|---|
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1.
Examination |
-
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-
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|
Students will be required to prepare seminar assignments: for each seminar, they must read the assigned mandatory literature, consult additional information sources relevant to the topic, and prepare a summary and analysis of the information.
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2.
Examination |
-
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-
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The final grade for the course will consist of two components: 50% will be based on participation in seminars and lectures, including seminar presentations, and 50% will be based on the final exam grade.
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Study Course Theme Plan
FULL-TIME
Part 1
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Lecture
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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|---|---|---|
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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Introductory Lecture. Course Structure and Objectives. Explanation of Key Concepts.
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-
Lecture
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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|---|---|---|
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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The Origins of Human Rights: The Idea of Human Rights in Philosophical Texts and Political Documents, and the Beginnings of the System After the First World War.
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Lecture
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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|---|---|---|
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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The Formation of the Human Rights System and the Cold War Period: The International Bill of Human Rights and Treaty System, Regional Organizations, and Developments During the Cold War.
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-
Class/Seminar
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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|---|---|---|
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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The UN Human Rights System Today: Treaty Bodies, Special Procedures, Universal Periodic Review, Investigation Mechanisms, and More.
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-
Class/Seminar
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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|---|---|---|
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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The Council of Europe: The European Convention on Human Rights, Implementation Mechanism of the Convention, Monitoring Mechanisms, and the Commissioner for Human Rights.
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-
Class/Seminar
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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|---|---|---|
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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Human Rights in the European Union: Human Rights in the EU Legal Framework, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, the European Ombudsman, FRONTEX, the European Parliament, and the Court of Justice of the European Union.
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-
Lecture
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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|---|---|---|
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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Social Science Theories on the Functioning of the Human Rights System: The Spiral Model, Boomerang Effect, Necessary Preconditions, Feedback Mechanism, and Localization.
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Lecture
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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|---|---|---|
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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How Effective is the European System?: Legal Mechanisms, Exclusion, and Social Pressure.
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-
Class/Seminar
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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|---|---|---|
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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The Historical Development of Human Rights in Latvia: Human Rights During the Parliamentary Period (1918–1934), the Authoritarian Regime (1934–1940), During German and Soviet Occupations, and in Restored Latvia Up to EU Accession, with Emphasis on Minority Rights.
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-
Class/Seminar
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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|---|---|---|
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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Human Rights Challenges in Contemporary Latvia.
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Lecture
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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|---|---|---|
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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What Are the Main Alternatives to the Current Approach to Human Rights?: Criticism of International Human Rights by the US (Trump Administration) and China.
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Lecture
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Modality
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Location
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Contact hours
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|---|---|---|
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On site
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Auditorium
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2
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Topics
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What Does the Future Hold for Human Rights?
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Total ECTS (Creditpoints):
3.00
Contact hours:
24 Academic Hours
Final Examination:
Exam (Written)
Bibliography
Required Reading
1.
Kathryn Sikkink, Evidence for Hope: Making Human Rights Work in the 21st Century (2017), 55.-93., 94.-138.lpp.
2.
Stephen Hopgood, Keepers of the Flame: Understanding Amnesty International (2006), 52.-72. lpp.
3.
United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commisioner. Instruments & mechanisms.
4.
Grigory Dikov an Olga Chernishova, “The European Human Rights System,” GlobaLex, August 2023
5.
Nils Muižnieks, “‘Commissionating’: My Stint as Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights,” Unpublished, 2024
6.
European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Rights Report 2024 (2024), 28.-41., 52.-70., 87.-106. lpp.
7.
Stephen Hopgood, Jack Snyder, and Leslie Vinjamuri, “Introduction: Human. Rights Past, Present and Future,” and Geoff Dancy and Kathryn Sikkink, “Human Rights Data, Processes and Outcomes,” krāj. Human Rights Futures (2017), 1.-59.,311.-330. lpp.
8.
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, “Impact of the European Convention on Human Rights in States Parties: Selected Examples,” (2016)
9.
Nils Muižnieks, “The Council of Europe’s Response to Recent Democratic Backsliding,” European Yearbook of Human Rights, (2019), 3.-31. lpp.
10.
Nils Muižnieks un Ilze Brands Kehris, “The European Union, democratization and minorities in Latvia,” krāj. The European Union and Democratization, (2003), 30.-55.lpp.
11.
Report of the Commission on Unalienable Rights (2020).
12.
Tanner Larkin, “China’s Normfare and the Threat to Human Rights,” Columbia Law Review (2022).
13.
David Griffiths, “Barometer in Context: Strengthening the Human Rights System,” (2023).
Other Information Sources
1.
Latvijas Cilvēktiesību centrs, Cilvēktiesības Latvijā 2019-2023.
2.
Ineta Ziemele, red., Cilvēktiesības pasaulē un Latvijā, Otrais paplidinātais izdevums (2021), 19.-28., 29.-34., 334.-385. lpp.
3.
Es gribu palīdzēt bēgļiem u.c., “Bīstamais ceļš: migrantu nāve pie Eiropas Savienības-Baltkrievijas robežas”, (2024).