International Human Rights Law (ILO-L210)

Fall 2023 · ILO L210 · Tufts University · 3 credits · Undergraduate

This course will trace the legal and political development of international human rights law. It will begin by exploring the philosophical bases of this body of law in the context of the positivist legal tradition of the 19th and early 20th centuries. It will examine the nature and structure of the international legal system, and provide an overview of the early development of international human rights law within the context of the evolution of that system. The course will focus on the scope and substance of modern human rights law, and will analyze the application of these standards in the context of case studies encompassing issues of hate speech, extraterritorial application of human rights law, and discrimination on the basis of sex and sexual orientation. It will also survey the extensive array of human rights mechanisms created under the auspices of the UN and regional intergovernmental organizations. In addition, the course will provide a brief introduction to related areas of international law, including the international law of armed conflict (also known as international humanitarian law) and international criminal law in the strict sense, and the interaction of these bodies of law with international human rights law. The format of the course will consist primarily of lectures, structured discussion, and role-playing activities.

Course codes: ILO-L210

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