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LWM19

Human rights of women

Module information>

Academic Direction
UCL, Queen Mary University of London
Modes of Study
Online

This course is engaging and fascinating. Many of the issues and examples you will explore on this course are contemporary human rights issues, such as female cutting (female genital mutilation), global domestic violence, rape and sexual assault and the role international human rights law and international criminal law can play in addressing these atrocities. This subject largely investigates international human rights law as it applies to women’s lives. It is important to consider the language used in this course - the focus is on women and women’s lives, the course is not called ‘gender and human rights law’, however you are encouraged to reflect on this and consider issues of gender and sexual violence that may affect not only women. Everyone is encouraged to take this subject, if you haven’t studied human rights before there will be enough material to work on which will allow you to gasp the topic.

Module A: Is the theory underlying human rights law male?

LWM19A

  • Introduction to Human Rights, what is Human Rights law?
  • Analysis of the history and philosophy of Human Rights discourse
  • Who is included in the “human” of Human Rights?

Module B: Feminist critiques of human rights

LWM19B

  • Feminist theories and critiques of Human Rights law
  • The problems and/or virtues of Human Rights law for women on a global scale
  • Feminist reconstructions of Human Rights, aiming to ensure the inclusion of women

Module C: Institutional framework, institutions and documents relating to the human rights of women

LWM19C

  • Examination of Human Rights documents and their institutional framework, including: the UN Charter, the “three Generations of Rights”, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women; the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women
  • International Courts, human rights and humanitarian law

Module D: Sovereign governments, non-state actors and individual responsibility for human rights violations: linking theory to practice

LWM19D

  • Consideration of the work of non-governmental organisations set up for/by women
  • Interrelationship between sovereign governments, non-state actors and a developing international jurisprudence on Human Rights law investigating how these impact on the lives of women
  • Case studies on sexual violence and rape including the International War Crimes Tribunals at The Hague
  • Reconnecting feminist legal theory to the Human Rights of women

Assessment

Each module is assessed by a 45-minute unseen written exam.

Sequence

Students are advised to attempt the modules in order but students may, if they wish, attempt modules in the following order: module C, module A, module B and module D or module C, module D, module A and module B.

How to apply

You can apply to study a module individually as a standalone unit or as part of a Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or Master of Laws qualification. (In either scenario, they must be studied in order.)

These modules also contribute towards the following specialist pathways for Laws:

  • Family Law
  • Human Rights Law
  • Law and Development
  • Legal Theory and History
  • Public International Law
  • Public Law

Apply via Postgraduate Laws.

Study Material