General Course Information
1.1 Course details
| Course code: | LLAW6060 / JDOC6060 |
| Course name: | Current Issues in Human Rights |
| Programme offered under: | LLM Programme |
| Semester: | Second |
| Prerequisites / Co-requisites: | No |
| Credit point value: | 9 credits |
1.2 Course description
Safeguarding human rights remains one of the most pressing and complex challenges facing the international community. Aspirational rights-granting instruments such as treaties, conventions, and covenants – even those that are legally binding – often lack adequate funding, clear allocation of responsibility, or effective enforcement mechanisms from a practical and/or structural perspective. This can result in protection gaps, dysfunctional systems, long backlogs, lack of long-term solutions, and even offender impunity.
This course seeks to face this reality from a solutions-oriented perspective, examine current human rights issues and some of the related intractable problems, and critique what is being done (or not done) in selected specific contexts to address these human rights issues.
The course will begin by considering the aims of several international human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the Convention against Torture, and the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, among others. Through a series of case studies – some selected by the instructor and some decided by students – the class will examine specific current policies and proposals for change and then consider potential solutions for the way forward.
The course will consider the following topics, among others: the rights to life, liberty, health, and education; the right to seek asylum; the right to work; the rights of women and sexual minorities; and religious freedom. Students will assess the current challenges to effective protection and enforcement of rights in these areas, and they will contribute to the ongoing examination of the possibility for positive change.
1.3 Course teachers
| Name | E-mail address | Office | Consultation | |
| Course convenor | Stephanie Biedermann | sbied@hku.hk | CCT 802 | By email |
1.4 Course outline
| Please click the link here for the course outline (HKU Portal login required). |
Learning Outcomes
2.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for this course
CLO 1 Critically analyze the aims, structures, and limitations of key international human rights instruments, including the UDHR, ICCPR, ICESCR, the Convention against Torture, and the 1951 Refugee Convention.
CLO 2 Evaluate the effectiveness of current international and regional human rights enforcement mechanisms, identifying specific structural and practical challenges.
CLO 3 Identify and explain the major protection gaps in international human rights systems, including issues related to funding, responsibility allocation, and enforcement.
CLO 4 Conduct case studies of selected human rights issues, demonstrating the ability to research, synthesize, and present complex legal and factual scenarios.
CLO 5 Compare and contrast the practical implementation of human rights protections in different national and regional contexts, recognizing the impact of local legal, political, and cultural factors.
CLO 6 Communicate policy analyses effectively, both orally and in writing, tailored to academic and practitioner audiences.
CLO 7 Demonstrate ethical awareness of the dilemmas faced by practitioners and policymakers in balancing aspirational human rights standards with practical constraints and reflect on future possibilities for advancing human rights protections.
2.2 LLM and JD Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Please refer to the following link:
LLM – https://course.law.hku.hk/llm-plo/
JD – 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 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 6 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| CLO 7 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Assessment(s)
3.1 Assessment Summary
| Assessment task* | Weighting | Feedback method* | Course learning outcomes |
| Class contribution and participation | 15% | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
| Writing exercise/presentation | 35% | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
| Final project | 50% | 1, 2, 3 | 4, 5, 6, 7 |
*In case there will be a need of having online classes instead of f2f teaching, the same basic parameters will be applicable, even if with some appropriate and timely adaptations.
| *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(s). 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-hour seminars in an intensive mode |
| Private study time: | 9.5 hours / week for 12 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 course convenor(s).
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/