LAU34061 European Human Rights

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module, students should be able to:

• Describe and evaluate the structure and operation of the Council of Europe bodies, with a primary focus on the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)
• Explain the procedural requirements for bringing individual complaints to the ECtHR
• Demonstrate familiarity with the jurisprudence of the ECtHR across a range of substantive rights, including overarching questions of interpretation and the evolution of rights
• Identify and engage critically with contemporary debates surrounding the role and function of the ECtHR, including questions of legitimacy

Module Content

This module will focus on the regional human rights regime established by the Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR). In addition to providing an overview of practice and procedure under the ECHR, the module will examine selected European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) case law across a range of substantive rights and contemporary issues of pressing concern. This will include a critical appraisal of key concepts such as ‘European consensus’ and the margin of appreciation. Students will be asked to engage throughout with the relationship between political context and the ECtHR’s jurisprudence, including contemporary debates about the role of the ECtHR in domestic legal systems. Some attention will also be dedicated to other sources of human rights protection in Europe, including under European Union law.