General Course Information
1.1 Course details
| Course code: | LLAW6072 |
| 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 |
| Cap on student numbers: | 30 [Only for LLM(HR) students] |
1.2 Course description
This course is compulsory for all students completing the LLM in Human Rights degree and complements the other required module: Human Rights History, Theory and Politics and the Capstone experiential learning and research courses. As such, the course is one component of a cohesive curriculum and students are encouraged to reflect on how what they learn in their other courses informs the topics discussed in this course and vice versa. It also sets the stage for a more in-depth consideration of particular human rights issues and contexts within the elective modules. The course introduces the key instruments and institutions that comprise the global and regional systems for the protection of human rights, debates about their effectiveness, and the nature and content of selected rights and associated issues.
1.3 Course teachers
| Name | E-mail address | Office | Consultation | |
| Course convenor | Kelley Loper | kloper@hku.hk | CCT 408 | By email |
Learning Outcomes
2.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for this course
CLO 1 Reflect on debates about the universality and interdependence of human rights in international law.
CLO 2 Identify the sources of international human rights law, including key multilateral treaties as well as selected bodies of “soft law” principles/rules.
CLO 3 Understand the basic functions of the main institutions, enforcement mechanisms, and processes that comprise the system for the protection of human rights at the global level (including United Nations treaty and charter-based bodies) and discuss current debates about their effectiveness and ability to prevent and remedy violations of human rights.
CLO 4 Identify, understand, and compare the functions of the key treaties and enforcement mechanisms which comprise the African, European, and Inter-American human rights systems.
CLO 5 Discuss issues related to the development of a regional human rights framework in the Asian context and propose and debate possible scenarios for establishing an effective system based on insights from the existing global and regional human rights bodies.
CLO 6 Achieve a basic understanding of the content of selected substantive rights, categories of rights, and/or current human rights topics and how these have been interpreted by global and regional human rights bodies.
CLO 7 Develop their critical thinking skills and participate actively in class discussion.
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 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 6 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 7 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Assessment(s)
3.1 Assessment Summary
| Assessment task | Due date | Weighting | Feedback method* | Course learning outcomes |
| Class participation | N/A | 10% | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | |
| In-class pop “quizzes” | TBC | 10% | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | |
| In-class group presentation | 26 Oct 2023 | 20% | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | |
| Final assignment | 18 Dec 2023 | 60% | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
| *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/