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 |
| 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. 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 evolution of international human rights standards within the United Nations, focusing on the International Bill of Rights, major UN human rights treaties, and the work of UN treaty bodies. Additionally, the course will 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 African, European, and Inter-American human rights systems, and explore the potential for an Asian regional or sub-regional human rights framework.
1.3 Course teachers
| Name | E-mail address | Office | Consultation | |
| Course convenor | Jiahui Duan | TBC | TBC | By email |
Learning Outcomes
2.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for this course
CLO 1 Identify and evaluate the sources of international human rights law, including essential multilateral treaties and selected “soft law” principles and rules.
CLO 2 Comprehend the fundamental functions of the main institutions, enforcement mechanisms, and processes within the global human rights protection system, including United Nations treaty and charter-based bodies and engage in informed discussions on the effectiveness and capacity of these mechanisms to prevent and address human rights violations.
CLO 3 Examine and compare the roles of key treaties and enforcement mechanisms in the African, European, and Inter-American human rights systems, discuss the challenges and opportunities related to developing a regional human rights framework in the Asian context. and debate potential scenarios for establishing an effective system, drawing on insights from existing global and regional human rights bodies.
CLO 4 Achieve a basic understanding of selected substantive rights, categories of rights, and current human rights topics as interpreted by global and regional human rights bodies.
CLO 5 Reflect on and discuss the universality and interdependence of human rights in international law.
2.2 LLM Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Please refer to the following link:
https://course.law.hku.hk/llm-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 | Due date | Weighting | Feedback method* | Course learning outcomes |
| Attendance and contributions to class discussions | N/A | 15% | 1, | 1, 2, 3 ,4, 5 |
| Group presentation | 24 Oct 2024 | 25% | 1, 2 | 1, 2, 3 ,4, 5 |
| Final assignment | 16 Dec 2024 | 60% | 1, 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.
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/