The principal purpose of the Colloquium is to provide the core interdisciplinary component for all of our Masters degrees. The content is intended to provide a first-class education on the foundational principles of human rights, upon the different perspectives and methodologies employed by key academic disciplines in their approaches to human rights and to enable an in-depth analysis of a selection of outstandingly important issues and debates within the theory and practice of human rights. The comprehensive range of the syllabus is reflected in the teaching staff engaged upon the Colloquium, who reflect the inter and multi-disciplinary approaches to human rights and are, in most cases, internationally recognised authorities upon the subjects they will teach. The Colloquium extends across twenty teaching weeks and is divided into three main parts: theoretical bases of human rights principles; applications of human rights principles; and contemporary issues and debates in the implementation and practice of human rights. On successfully completing the Colloquium students will:
Have gained an understanding of the principal theoretical foundations of human rights
Have gained an understanding of the controversial basis and content of the practice and application of specific human rights instruments
Be able to critically evaluate specific human rights claims, utilising different theoretical perspectives from several academic disciplines
Be cognizant of some of the principal issues surrounding the practice and implementation of various human rights
Have acquired the methodological skills required for independent research in the study of human rights
- Module Supervisor: Ahmed Shaheed