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. The course is especially designed to encourage students to connect insights from various courses and their professional background. In doing so, the course aims to offer a comprehensive understanding of the research and practice of international and regional human rights. The course provides an in-depth introduction to fundamental international and regional treaties, and their respective monitoring mechanisms, as well as to other relevant international or regional human rights institutions. Through three specific case studies – on the right to food, gender equality, racial discrimination – this course creates the opportunity to analyze and discuss the effectiveness of existing international and regional human rights systems. We will also examine the transformations of international human rights standards within the United Nations system, focusing on the International Bill of Rights (UDHR, ICCPR, ICESCR), major UN human rights treaties, and the work of UN treaty bodies. The course will also examine the UN 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. We 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. To wrap up the course, building on what we learnt throughout the semester and in light of the 2025 International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion and the recent UN Resolution A/80/L.65 of May 2026, we will discuss ‘climate change’ as a new emerging challenge for the international and regional protection of human rights.
1.3 Course teachers
| Name | E-mail address | Office | Consultation | |
| Course convenor | Valeria Vazquez Guevara | vvg1@hku.hk | CCT 604 | By email |
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 c 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 assignment | 25% | 2, 5 | 1, 2, 3 ,4, 5 |
| In-hall exam | 60% | 3 | 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
Please see document with “Course Outline”.
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: | All course materials will be available on Moodle |
| Core reading list: | See tentative “Course readings” in Course Outline |
| Recommended reading list: | See tentative “Course readings” in Course Outline |
5.2 Links
Please refer to the following link: http://www.law.hku.hk/course/learning-resources/