Course Coordinator:Justine Poon (jpoon@usc.edu.au) School:School of Law and Society
Online |
Online | You can do this course without coming onto campus. |
Please go to usc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
International Human Rights Law imposes obligations on States, making them accountable internationally for the treatment of persons at the hands of government institutions and officials and, to some extent, private persons. In this course you will examine the nature, theoretical underpinnings and historical development of human rights law. You will study the supra-national institutions and mechanisms concerned with the protection of universal human rights and the challenges associated with the implementation of the laws in the domestic sphere, in Australia and other countries.
Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
Online | |||
Learning materials – Online learning materials and activities covering key topics will be available on Canvas. | 1hr | Week 1 | 13 times |
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Scheduled online Tutorials to review and apply knowledge. | 2hrs | Week 2 | 11 times |
Seminar – Seminar workshop on Zoom, which will also be recorded. | 1hr | Refer to Format | 2 times |
History and Context of International Human Rights Law [Violence]
The Subject of Human Rights Law
Sources and Character of International Human Rights Obligations
Categories of International Human Rights
Protection Institutions – International, Regional and National
Enforcement, Exceptions and Limitations [Violence]
Critique of International Human Rights Law
Selected Topics in International Human Rights Law
400 Level (Graduate)
12 units
Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | |
1 | Synthesise, interpret and apply relevant principles and approaches and broader interdisciplinary perspectives. |
Knowledgeable Creative and critical thinker |
2 | Apply knowledge, critical thinking, analysis and judgment to generate appropriate and practical responses to complex issues and problems. |
Creative and critical thinker Sustainability-focussed |
3 | Communicate effectively and persuasively. |
Empowered Engaged |
4 | Research and evaluate credible and authoritative sources in international human rights law in support of arguments. |
Knowledgeable Creative and critical thinker |
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
(LAW104 and LAW204 and enrolled in any Law Program) or (JST202 and enrolled in Program AR323)
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Standard Grading (GRD)
High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
By week 4 of this course you will have received feedback on your understanding of key concepts and principles covered in weeks 1 – 3 through in-class discussions. You are encouraged to use the consultation time with the course coordinator to discuss your understanding of the course.
Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | Weighting % | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
All | 1 | Written Piece | Individual | 20% | Up tp 800 words |
Week 4 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
All | 2 | Written Piece | Individual | 40% | 1500 words |
Week 8 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
All | 3 | Essay | Individual | 40% | 2000 words |
Week 13 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
All - Assessment Task 1:Research and Reflection | |
Goal: | This task asks you to demonstrate and reflect on research and thinking skills needed to make credible evaluations of international human rights law and to propose solutions to legal problems linked to Task 2. |
Product: | Written Piece |
Format: | Quiz and short answer questions. |
Criteria: |
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All - Assessment Task 2:Memorandum of advice | |
Goal: | The goal of this task is to formulate a memorandum of advice in relation to an authentic human rights situation. You will be required to critically engage with substantive IHRL principles, apply them to the facts, and reach sound conclusions about the legal rights, obligations and remedies that arise in the given scenario. |
Product: | Written Piece |
Format: | Written report consisting of no more than 1500 words (excluding footnotes and bibliography), using AGLC4 referencing. |
Criteria: |
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All - Assessment Task 3:Research essay | |
Goal: | The goal of this task is for you to research an assigned IHRL topic, analyse and critically evaluate all relevant legal, factual and policy matters, and use your judgment to effectively communicate an appropriate conclusion. |
Product: | Essay |
Format: | Essay consisting of no more than 2000 words (excluding footnotes and bibliography), using AGLC4 referencing. |
Criteria: |
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A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.
Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.
Please note that you need to have regular access to the resource(s) listed below. Resources may be required or recommended.
Required? | Author | Year | Title | Edition | Publisher |
Required | Daniel Moeckli, Sandesh Sivakumaran, Sangeeta Shah | 2022 | International Human Rights Law | 4th Edition | Oxford University Press |
This is an online elective and you will require access to a computer or laptop with video and microphone and stable Internet access.
Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.
Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.
In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.
Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying: The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4% The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale You have not failed an assessment task in the course due to academic misconduct
Late submission of assessment tasks may be penalised at the following maximum rate: - 5% (of the assessment task's identified value) per day for the first two days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. - 10% (of the assessment task's identified value) for the third day - 20% (of the assessment task's identified value) for the fourth day and subsequent days up to and including seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. - A result of zero is awarded for an assessment task submitted after seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. Weekdays and weekends are included in the calculation of days late. To request an extension you must contact your course coordinator to negotiate an outcome.
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