International Human Rights Law

This course is an introduction to international human rights law, covering the major legal instruments and institutions that operate on the international plane. It includes discussion of the conceptual underpinnings of human rights, the structure of the United Nations System, the major international treaties, the regional human rights machinery, and the interplay of national and international systems in enforcing human rights. It will also provide an introduction to the various substantive areas of human rights law: civil and political rights, the prohibition of torture, women's rights, LGBT rights, socio-economic rights, international criminal law and the responsibility to protect.