Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convenor, Lecturer and Tutor
Amy Barrow
Contact via Contact via iLearn
522, 6 First Walk
See iLearn for details
Convenor and Lecturer
Carolyn Adams
Contact via Contact via iLearn
511, 6 First Walk
See iLearn for details
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Credit points |
Credit points
10
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to LLM or (Admission to JD and LAWS600 or LAWS8001)
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit addresses the fundamental and dynamic issue of the protection of human rights in international law. The unit traces the historical development of human rights law at national, regional and global levels. It considers theoretical frameworks for analysing the rights of individuals and groups and the duties of states to protect those rights. It considers the strengths and limitations of the institutions and mechanisms in place to protect and promote rights in practice. The unit includes consideration of the cross-cultural dimensions and other tensions inherent in this area, with a focus on contemporary challenges for international human rights law. Building on the foundations provided in the unit readings and discussion, students have the opportunity to explore a rights issue of particular personal interest. |
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Late Assessment Penalty
Students should be aware of and apply the University policy on academic honesty.
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – 10 marks out of 100 credit will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted seven days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments - e.g. quizzes, online tests.
Submission
All written assessments in the unit are to be submitted electronically by way of Turnitin on the iLearn page. Plagiarism detection software is used in this unit to check all written assessments.
Students should carefully check that they submit the correct file for an assessment as no re-submissions will be accepted after the due date and time, including instances where students upload an incorrect file in error.
Format
All assessment tasks in this unit must be typed in Word format and be double spaced to facilitate marking in Turnitin.
Word Limits
Word limits are strictly applied. Work above the word limit will not be marked. Footnotes are to be used only for referencing. Referencing must conform to the requirements set out in the Australian Guide to Legal Citation.
Moderation
Detailed marking rubrics will be made available on iLearn. In addition, tutors will be provided with detailed marking guides to ensure consistency. All fail papers will be double marked. The Unit Convenor and Tutors will meet to review final grades for the unit.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Multiple Choice Quiz | 5% | No | 5pm on Wednesday 16/03/2022 |
Research Essay Proposal | 15% | Yes | 5pm on Friday 18/03/2022 |
Research Essay | 40% | No | 5pm on Monday 16/05/2022 |
Final Take Home Test | 40% | No | Scheduled from 1-5pm on Tuesday 14/06/2022 |
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0.50 hours
Due: 5pm on Wednesday 16/03/2022
Weighting: 5%
Students are required to complete an online multiple choice quiz, covering material addressed in the early part of the course. The quiz is designed to encourage students to start reading early and to provide early feedback on students’ understanding of the readings. This is a timed assessment and no late submissions are accepted.
Assessment Type 1: Plan
Indicative Time on Task 2: 7.00 hours
Due: 5pm on Friday 18/03/2022
Weighting: 15%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)
Students are required to develop and submit a research proposal for their research essay relating to a current issue or development arising under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights or the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The proposal must clearly set out the proposed research question and approach to the question.
Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30.00 hours
Due: 5pm on Monday 16/05/2022
Weighting: 40%
Students are required to submit a research essay — based on their research essay proposal — that critically analyses a current issue or development arising under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights or the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights from an international human rights law perspective.
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 2.5 hours
Due: Scheduled from 1-5pm on Tuesday 14/06/2022
Weighting: 40%
Students are required to complete a final take home test comprising short answer and essay questions. The questions and essay topics may be drawn from any part of the course, including the tutorial material. This is a timed assessment and no late submissions will be accepted.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Technology used and required
To participate successfully in this unit, students will require access to the unit iLearn page. This will require access to secure and reliable computer facilities. Students will be required to upload all assessment tasks by way of Turnitin on the unit iLearn page.
Delivery
The unit will be delivered as a series of weekly two hour lectures running from Week 1 until Week 13, which will be recorded and uploaded to Echo360. It is important that you listen to the lectures every week for guidance on content and how best to approach the various assessment items. Additionally, all students are expected to attend six two hour intensive tutorials delivered via Zoom between 7-9pm on the following dates:
Week 3: Monday 7th March
Week 5: Monday 21st March
Week 7: Monday 4th April
Week 9: Monday 2nd May
Week 11: Monday 16th May
Week 13: Monday 30th May
Further details about the schedule for the intensive tutorials will be available on iLearn.
Unit materials
You are required to have access to both of the prescribed texts for this unit, as there will be readings set from each text almost every week. The prescribed texts are as follows:
Olivier De Schutter, International Human Rights Law: Cases, Materials and Commentary (Cambridge University Press, 3rd ed, 2019); and
D Moeckli, S Shah and S Sivakumaran (eds), International Human Rights Law (Oxford University Press, 3rd ed, 2018).
Preparatory readings
In preparation for LAWS8087, you should read the following material from the prescribed textbook to refresh your understanding of basic international law sources and principles:
• Christine Chinkin, 'Sources' in D Moeckli, S Shah and S Sivakumaran (eds), International Human Rights Law (Oxford University Press, 3rd ed, 2018) 63-85.
A detailed weekly schedule will be provided on the unit iLearn page. The topics to be covered in this unit are as follows:
Week 1 History of Human Rights
Week 2 Theories of Human Rights
Week 3 Civil and Political Rights
Week 4 Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Week 5 Limitations on Human Rights
Week 6 Enforcement of Human Rights I
Week 7 Enforcement of Human Rights II
Week 8 Rights of Peoples
Week 9 Women's Rights
Week 10 Children's Rights
Week 11 Measuring Progress
Week 12 Theoretical Critiques
Week 13 Institutional Challenges
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:
Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Unit information based on version 2022.02 of the Handbook