| Human rights of women |
| Section A: Is the theory underlying human rights law male? |
| · Introduction to Human Rights, what is Human Rights law? |
| · Analysis of the history and philosophy of Human Rights discourse. |
| · Who is included in the “human” of Human Rights? |
| Section B: Feminist critiques of human rights |
| · Feminist theories and critiques of Human Rights law. |
| · The problems and/or virtues of Human Rights law for women on a global scale. |
| · Feminist reconstructions of Human Rights, aiming to ensure the inclusion of women. |
| Section C: Institutional framework, institutions and documents relating to the human rights of women |
| · Examination of Human Rights documents and their institutional framework, including: the UN Charter, the “three Generations of Rights”, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women; the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women. |
| · International Courts, human rights and humanitarian law. |
| Section D: Sovereign governments, non-state actors and individual responsibility for human rights violations: linking theory to practice |
| · Consideration of the work of non-governmental organisations set up for/by women. |
| · Interrelationship between sovereign governments, non-state actors and a developing international jurisprudence on Human Rights law investigating how these impact on the lives of women. |
| · Case studies on sexual violence and rape including the International War Crimes Tribunals at The Hague. |
| · Reconnecting feminist legal theory to the Human Rights of women. |
Sequence:
Students are advised to attempt the sections in order but may, if they wish, attempt sections in the following order:
· Section C, section A, section B and section D or
· Section C, section D, section A and section B. |
Textbooks:
Hilary Charlesworth and Christine Chinkin, The Boundaries of International Law: A Feminist Analysis (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2000), ISBN: 9780719037399 |
| Rebecca J. Cook (ed), Human Rights of Women: National and International Perspectives (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1994), ISBN: 9780812215380 |
