General Course Information
1.1 Course details
| Course code: | LLAW6072 / JDOC6072 |
| Course name: | International and Regional Protection of Human Rights |
| Programme offered under: | LLM Programme / JD Programme |
| Semester: | First |
| Prerequisites / Co-requisites: | No |
| Credit point value: | 9 credits |
1.2 Course description
This compulsory course for the LLM in Human Rights program complements the “Human Rights History, Theory, and Politics” module and the Capstone options, forming an integral part of a cohesive curriculum. It encourages students to interconnect insights from various courses, fostering a comprehensive understanding of the research and practice of and regional international human rights. The course provides an in-depth introduction to the key instruments and institutions constituting global and regional human rights systems, debating their effectiveness and exploring selected rights and associated issues. Students will examine the transformations of international human rights standards within the United Nations system, focusing on the International Bill of Rights, major UN human rights treaties, and the work of UN treaty bodies. The course will also analyze Charter-based mechanisms, such as the Commission on Human Rights and its thematic and country-specific procedures, with particular attention to their relevance in the Asia-Pacific region. It will also cover the European, Inter-American, and African regional human rights systems, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) engagement with international human rights.
1.3 Course teachers
| Name | E-mail address | Office | Consultation | |
| Course convenor | Valeria Vazquez Guevara | vvg1@hku.hk | CCT 508 | By email |
1.4 Course Outline (for elective course)
| Please click on the link here for the course outline (HKU Portal login required). |
Learning Outcomes
2.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for this course
CLO 1 Understand and explain the past and ongoing legal debates advancing or questioning the universal applicability of international human rights law and its jurisdiction.
CLO 2 Conduct legal analysis on the past and current functions, potential, and limitations of international human rights institutions, mechanisms, treaties and processes.
CLO 3 Analyze the legal and socio-legal contexts of how Asian countries engage international human rights law and its institutions.
CLO 4 Compare and legally analyze how different global and regional human rights institutions have interpreted selected substantive rights.
CLO 5 Communicate legal arguments and professionally engage with counter-arguments.
2.2 LLM Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Please refer to the following link:
https://course.law.hku.hk/llm-plo/
https://course.law.hku.hk/jd-plo/
2.3 Programme Learning Outcomes to be achieved in this course
| PLO A | PLO B | PLO C | PLO D | PLO E | PLO F | |
| CLO 1 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| CLO 2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| CLO 3 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 4 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 5 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Assessment(s)
3.1 Assessment Summary
| Assessment task | Weighting | Feedback method* | Course learning outcomes |
| Class participation | 15% | 5 | 1, 2, 3 ,4, 5 |
| Mid-term assingment | 40% | 2 | 1, 2, 3 ,4, 5 |
| Final assignment | 45% | 2 | 1, 2, 3 ,4, 5 |
| *Feedback method (to be determined by course teacher) | |
| 1 | A general course report to be disseminated through Moodle |
| 2 | Individual feedback to be disseminated by email / through Moodle |
| 3 | Individual review meeting upon appointment |
| 4 | Group review meeting |
| 5 | In-class verbal feedback |
3.2 Assessment Detail
To be advised by course convenor. See also Course Outline above.
3.3 Grading Criteria
Please refer to the following link: https://www.law.hku.hk/_files/law_programme_grade_descriptors.pdf
Learning Activities
4.1 Learning Activity Plan
| Seminar: | 3 hours / week for 11 teaching weeks |
| Private study time: | 9.5 hours / week for 11 teaching weeks |
Remarks: the normative student study load per credit unit is 25 ± 5 hours (ie. 150 ± 30 hours for a 6-credit course), which includes all learning activities and experiences within and outside of classroom, and any assessment task and examinations and associated preparations.
4.2 Details of Learning Activities
To be advised by the convenor.
Learning Resources
5.1 Resources
| Reading materials: | Reading materials are posted on Moodle |
| Core reading list: | TBA |
| Recommended reading list: | TBA |
5.2 Links
Please refer to the following link: http://www.law.hku.hk/course/learning-resources/