International Human Rights Law Syllabus (Spring 2016)

In addition to primary materials and articles, we will use excerpts from Rhona K.M.
Smith, International Human Rights (Oxford, 5th ed., 2012) (Smith) and
Henry J. Steiner, Philip Alston & Ryan Goodman, International Human Rights in Context
(Oxford, 3d ed., 2007) (Steiner). All materials will be made available in a course
packet.
There will be an oral presentation from each member of the class regarding an issue of
human rights law of their choice that is currently in the news. Each presentation should
deal with a different region of the world. Try to keep the length of presentations to no
more than 10-15 minutes. Please provide some (legal) analysis of the human rights issue
in your presentation; dont simply describe the issue. You do not have to hand in any
written papers for this presentation.
There will be a ten-page (2500 word) final paper instead of a final exam at the end of the
course. You can choose the paper topic but it should be approved by me.
Grading:
Class Participation
Issue Presentation
Final Paper

20%
20%
60%

Class 1 (Mar. 4) Introduction; Universal Declaration of Human Rights; Predecessors to

International Human Rights Law
Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen:
http://www.constitution.org/fr/fr_drm.htm.
U.S. Bill of Rights:
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Documents/UDHR_Translations/eng.pdf.
Class 2 (Mar. 11) ICCPR
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CCPR.aspx.
UN High Commission of Human Rights, Civil and Political Rights Fact Sheet No. 15:
The Human Rights Committee, pp. 1-30:
http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/FactSheet15rev.1en.pdf.
Open Letter to NPC on Human Rights: http://cmp.hku.hk/2013/02/26/31531/.

Class 3 (Mar. 18) ICCPR (cont.); ICESCR

International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CESCR.aspx.
Amnesty International, Human Rights for Human Dignity: A Primer on Economic,
Social, and Cultural Rights (2nd ed 2014), pp. 25-75:
https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol34/001/2014/en/.
Class 4 (Mar. 25) ICESCR (cont.)
Beth Simmons, Should States Ratify the Protocol? Process and Consequences of the
Optional Protocol of the ICESCR, Nordic Journal of Human Rights 27(1):
http://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/4319659/Simmons-ICESCR.pdf.
Class 5 (Apr. 1) Universalism v. Cultural Relativism
Steiner, pp. 517-540.
Joanne Bauer, The Challenge to International Human Rights in Constructing Human
Rights in the Age of Globalization (2003):
https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/publications/articles_papers_reports/905.html/:pf_printa
ble.
Class 6 (Apr. 8) United Nations System
Smith, pp. 61-70; 153-158.
Luisa Blanchfield, The United Nations Human Rights Council: Issues for Congress, CRS
Report (2013): http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33608.pdf.
Class 7 (Apr. 15): Regional Human Rights Systems: Europe and America
Smith, pp. 96-107; 119-127.
Diego Germn Meja-Lemos, Venezuelas Denunciation of the American Convention on
Human Rights, 17(1) ASIL Insights (Jan. 9, 2013):
http://www.asil.org/insights/volume/17/issue/1/venezuelas-denunciation-americanconvention-human-rights.
Class 8 (Apr. 22): Africa and Asia
Christof Heyns, The African Regional Human Rights System: The African Charter, 108
Penn. St. L. Rev. 679 (2004).

ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights Terms of Reference, pp. 3 14: https://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/research/Philippines/Terms%20of%20Reference
%20for%20the%20ASEAN%20Inter-Governmental%20CHR.pdf.
Arab Charter on Human Rights (skim online):
http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/instree/loas2005.html.
Class 9 (Apr. 29) Human Rights at the Domestic Level
Anna-Elina Pohjolainen, The Evolution of National Human Rights Institutions
(Copenhagen: Danish Institute for Human Rights, 2006), pp. 6-20:
http://www.nhri.net/pdf/Evolution_of_NHRIs.pdf.
Thomas Buergenthal, Modern Constitutions and Human Rights Treaties, 36 Columbia
Journal of Transnational Law 211 (1997).
Gwangju Human Rights Charter: http://www.gjhr.go.kr/sub/sub.php?
subKey=0102040000.
Class 10 (May 6) Womens Rights
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, Articles 1-16:
http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/ProfessionalInterest/cedaw.pdf.
Steiner, pp. 179-193; 210-221.
Class 11 (May 13) Human Rights in North Korea
UN Human Rights Council, Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in
the DPRK (2014), pp. 1-21.
Robert Park, North Korea: The Worlds Principal Violator of the Responsibility to
Protect, Columbia SIPA Journal of International Affairs:
http://jia.sipa.columbia.edu/online-articles/north-korea-worlds-principal-violatorresponsibility-protect/.
Andrew Wolman, South Koreas Response to Human Rights abuses in North Korea: An
Analysis of Policy Options, Asia Pacific Issues (June 2013):
http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/handle/10125/29442/api110.pdf.
Class 12 (May 20) Transitional Justice
International Center for Transitional Justice, What is Transitional Justice? (2009).

Christopher Lamont, Dealing with the Past to Repair the Present: Why Transitional
Justice Matters in Asia (2014) : http://peacebuilding.asia/dealing-with-the-past-to-repairthe-present-why-transitional-justice-matters-in-asia/.
Hun Joon Kim, What is Transitional Justice and Why is it Relevant to Korea (SSK
Human Rights Brief 2013): http://sskhumanrights.org/brief/2013_04.pdf.
Steiner, pp. 1331-43; 1345-1352
Richard B. Lillich, Hurst Hannum, S. James Anaya & Dinah L. Shelton, International
Human Rights: Problems of Law, Policy, and Practice, Fourth Edition (Aspen Publishers
2006), pp. 968-72.
Class 13 (May 27) International Criminal Law
Principles of the Nuremberg Tribunal, 1950: http://deoxy.org/wc/wc-nurem.htm.
Diane Marie Amann, A Janus Look at International Criminal Justice, 11 Northwestern J.
Intl Human Rts. 5 (2008).
Richard B. Lillich, Hurst Hannum, S. James Anaya & Dinah L. Shelton, International
Human Rights: Problems of Law, Policy, and Practice, Fourth Edition (Aspen Publishers
2006), 894 909.
Class 14 (June 3) International Criminal Court
Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, Preamble, and Arts., 1-16
Philippe Kirsch, The Role of the International Criminal Court in Enforcing International
Criminal Law, 22 Am. U. Int'l L. Rev. 539 (2007).
Zaya Yeebo, Selective Justice at the International Criminal Court, Counterpunch (Feb.
10-12, 2012).
June 10:
June 17: Final exam