Students

LAWS2060 – The Politics of Human Rights Law

2023 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Ben Hightower
ben.hightower@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
60cp at 1000 level or above including LAWS1010 or LEX101 or LEX102 or LAWS1000 or LAW115
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

Human rights are not simply a legal construct. They reflect powerful social and political movements that have transformed our political imagination since the mid 20th century. This unit explores human rights law with a view to analysing the diverse international and domestic political influences that have shaped its evolution and patterns of implementation. Students will examine changing political influences on a range of domestic and international human rights instruments and the roles they have played in anti-colonial, self-determination, civil rights and other liberation movements, as well as their place in supporting state authority. Particular attention will be paid to studying the power of geopolitical regions and the changing capacity of different national groups, countries and regimes to shape human rights law over time.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Explain and reflect on contemporary political debates about human rights values and rights-based discourses and how they are represented in law.
  • ULO2: Explain and reflect on some major international and domestic political issues that have occurred in recent history and the role that human rights plays within these issues.
  • ULO3: Apply international and domestic law to policy formation in the area of human rights.
  • ULO4: Communicate your understanding of the subject verbally and in clearly written, well reasoned and well structured arguments.
  • ULO5: Conduct interdisciplinary research in law and international relations and appreciate the role played by these disciplines in influencing legal processes and policy-making forums.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Quiz 20% No 3 March, 24 March, 28 April, 19 May (Each due by 11:55pm)
Take home exam. 30% No 1 June (Opens 10am. Due by 1pm)
Research Essay 30% No 7 April (Due 11:55pm)
Class participation 20% No Weeks 1-13

Quiz

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 5 hours
Due: 3 March, 24 March, 28 April, 19 May (Each due by 11:55pm)
Weighting: 20%

 

Regular quizzes based on the unit content.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain and reflect on contemporary political debates about human rights values and rights-based discourses and how they are represented in law.
  • Explain and reflect on some major international and domestic political issues that have occurred in recent history and the role that human rights plays within these issues.

Take home exam.

Assessment Type 1: Problem set
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 1 June (Opens 10am. Due by 1pm)
Weighting: 30%

 

Open book take-home exam of short questions covering topics discussed in the unit.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain and reflect on contemporary political debates about human rights values and rights-based discourses and how they are represented in law.
  • Explain and reflect on some major international and domestic political issues that have occurred in recent history and the role that human rights plays within these issues.
  • Communicate your understanding of the subject verbally and in clearly written, well reasoned and well structured arguments.

Research Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: 7 April (Due 11:55pm)
Weighting: 30%

 

Research Essay

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain and reflect on contemporary political debates about human rights values and rights-based discourses and how they are represented in law.
  • Explain and reflect on some major international and domestic political issues that have occurred in recent history and the role that human rights plays within these issues.
  • Apply international and domestic law to policy formation in the area of human rights.
  • Communicate your understanding of the subject verbally and in clearly written, well reasoned and well structured arguments.
  • Conduct interdisciplinary research in law and international relations and appreciate the role played by these disciplines in influencing legal processes and policy-making forums.

Class participation

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: Weeks 1-13
Weighting: 20%

 

Participation in tutorial discussion, debates and/or presentations

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain and reflect on contemporary political debates about human rights values and rights-based discourses and how they are represented in law.
  • Explain and reflect on some major international and domestic political issues that have occurred in recent history and the role that human rights plays within these issues.
  • Apply international and domestic law to policy formation in the area of human rights.
  • Communicate your understanding of the subject verbally and in clearly written, well reasoned and well structured arguments.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Lectures for this unit are either live and/or pre-recorded and will be uploaded weekly. Consult iLearn for delivery mode for lectures. Lectures will be presented in combination with other learning resources including readings, web content, e-learning modules and videos.  Students are expected to listen to the lectures and work their way through the other materials on a weekly basis.

One hour tutorials are scheduled weekly and will be delivered either face to face or online. Please check MQ timetables for the venue of tutorials.

There is no required text for this unit. Instead a selection of weekly required and recommended readings can be accessed via Leganto on iLearn.

Students require access to a computer and a secure and reliable server. 

Policies and Procedures

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.

Student Code of Conduct

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

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

Academic Integrity

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.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

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. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

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.

Macquarie University Late Submission Penalty

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of‚ 0 (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue. 

 

This late penalty will apply to non-timed sensitive assessment (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc). Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic. 

Unit information based on version 2023.03 of the Handbook