Human Rights

What you will learn

• Explain the concept, foundation, theory and history of human rights.
• Identify the treaties of the International Bill of Human Rights and of the regional systems, and which states are bound by each, including the United States.
• Locate cases of human rights violations and analyze them from different theoretical and practical approaches.
• Distinguish the universal, Inter-American, European and African systems and international humanitarian law, and know who can turn to each.
• Apply the principle of consistent interpretation and conventionality control.
• Design a defense and strategic litigation strategy, with its ethical obligations.
• Analyze human rights in the digital environment: artificial intelligence and digital discrimination.
• Research and argue in writing and orally, and guide a victim toward the appropriate mechanism.
• Write a final research paper on a fundamental rights topic.

Before you start

The main requirement is a genuine interest in promoting and defending human rights. It helps to read Spanish comfortably, to be able to read texts in English, to know how to find court decisions and to have taken American Law.

Syllabus

Tap each week to see its topics.

1. Week 1The concept, foundation and theory of human rights

   Module I: what human rights are and why they are binding.

2. Week 2The history of human rights

   Module I: from the first declarations to the Universal Declaration of 1948.

3. Week 3The International Bill of Human Rights

   Module II: the Universal Declaration and the two Covenants of 1966, with their protocols.

4. Week 4The regional treaties

   Module II: the European Convention, the American Convention and the African Charter.

5. Week 5Human rights violations and access to justice

   Module III: the ideal versus reality, and how to take action.

6. Week 6The United Nations system

   Module IV: the treaty bodies, the Human Rights Council and the Office of the High Commissioner.

7. Week 7The Inter-American system

   Module IV: the Commission and the Court, the individual petition and its weight with respect to the United States.

8. Week 8The European and African systems, and international humanitarian law

   Module IV: the Strasbourg Court, the African Commission and Court, and the Geneva Conventions.

9. Week 9Strategies, activism and strategic litigation

   Module V: freedom of expression, advocacy and defense tactics; conventionality control.

10. Week 10Ethical obligations before courts and bodies

    Module VI, with a litigation exercise: the petition in a fictitious case.

11. Week 11Digital media, artificial intelligence and human rights

    Module VII: digital discrimination and violations in the digital environment.

12. Week 12Fundamental rights and other protected rights

    Module VIII: electoral rights, the best interests of the child, women's rights and the reasoning of judgments. The final paper is due.

Materials

• The treaties as the core text: the Universal Declaration, the International Covenants, the American Convention, the European Convention and the African Charter.
• The Inter-American Court of Human Rights' case-law booklets, free and in Spanish.
• Judgments of the Inter-American Court, the European Court of Human Rights and the U.S. Supreme Court, in edited versions.
• In the virtual classroom: presentations, readings, forums and recordings of every class.

How you are assessed

What counts: attendance and participation, four short essays between classes, a written review of a classmate's essay, a litigation exercise and a final research paper on one of the course topics. At the start of the course you receive the syllabus, with the weight of each part.

When you pass the course, you receive a NAFA certificate of completion.