“By creating we think, by living we learn” Patrick Geddes
Module Convenor: Dr Patrick Ford (p.z.ford@dundee.ac.uk) Room 4.11
Understanding Human Rights runs during the first semester. The module seeks to promote students' understanding of the concept of human rights by examining its philosophical development in Western thought and its concrete application in the legal systems of the UK today, and by asking students to consider whether the concept can truly be regarded as universal. The early seminars will consider the concept from a historical perspective before turning to the statutory provisions under which the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights are made enforceable in the domestic courts of the UK. These "black-letter" provisions, and the case law associated with them, will then be considered in the light of the work of four major Western legal and political theorists, H L A Hart and John Finnis of the UK and John Rawls and Ronald Dworkin of the USA. As the module proceeds, students will be invited to consider whether the concept of human rights, as it emerges from the work of the four theorists, is one of universal application, or whether it should be regarded as an emanation of Western culture unsuitable for concrete application in the diverse cultures of non-Western societies.
The module will be taught by means of eight two-hour seminars, for which students will be expected to undertake extensive preparation. There will also be a one-hour introductory seminar in the first week of the semester and a one-hour revision seminar at the end of the semester. The module will be assessed 50% by coursework and 50% by written examination.
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