Human Rights

Course Syllabus

MODULE I: [25 hours]

Human Rights Ideology

  1. Philosophical and Historical foundations of the conception of “Human Rights”:
    1. Conception of Natural Rights to the Theories of Civil Rights - traditional notion of Justice, conception of ‘human dignity’ as a categorical imperative, progressive. [4 hours]
    2. Impact of the revolutions, movements and the two World Wars on the conception of human rights. [2 hours]
  2. Defining Rights: Rights, immunities, privileges; negative and/or positive rights; individual and collective rights, constitutional rights, human rights, international or universal rights. [2 hours]
  3. Generation of Rights:
    1. The first generation of rights - civil and political rights; the second generation of rights - economic and social rights. [3 hours]
    2. Group rights - people’s rights and rights of the minorities; next generation of rights - right to peace, right to healthy environment, right to sovereignty over natural resources, right to development. [3 hours]
      Poster-designing/ presentation by students.[3 hours]
      Debate/ group-discussion.[6 hours]
      Film/documentary film show. [2 hours]

MODULE II: [25 hours]

The Structure of human rights in the Contemporary World

  1. The internationalization of human rights and the universalization of human rights - the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; human rights and Democracy; human rights and Globalization [3 hours]
  2. Challenges to the Human Rights Ideology - communitarianism, cultural relativism versus universality of human rights. [2 hours]
  3. International accountability of human rights - strengths and weaknesses of human rights conventions; international enforcement of international law of human rights ; the role of International Court of Justice in the protection of human rights. [4 hours]
  4. Human rights in India: human rights and duties in the Indian Constitution - the gaps and the challenges; human rights, constitutionalism, justice, and good governance in the Indian context. [5 hours]
    Poster-designing/ presentation by students.
    [3 hours] Debate/ group - discussion.[6 hours]
    Film/documentary film show.[2 hours]

MODULE III: [25 Hours]

United Nations and Human rights and Duties

  1. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), International Convention of Civil & Political Rights (1966). [ 3 hours]
  2. International Convention on Economics, Social and Cultural Rights (1966). Convention on Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (1979). [4 hours]
  3. Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). [2 hours]
  4. Emerging trends: Police and Human Rights, Judiciary and Human Rights. Human Rights and Terrorism. Human Rights and Environment. Human Rights and Globalization [7 hours]
  5. UN agencies to monitor compliance such as UN High Commission for Human Rights and the Committees under various Conventions. [3 hours]
  6. Debate/group-discussion. [3 hours]
  7. Documentary film show. [ 1 hour]
  8. Poster - designing/ presentations. [2 hours]

MODULE IV: [25 hours]

Human Rights and Duties in India - the Constitutional framework

  1. Basic Features of the Constitution of India [2 hours]
  2. Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles of State Policy, Fundamental Duties. [ 3 hours]
  3. Protection & enforcement of human rights and duties. [3 hours]
  4. National and State Human Rights Commission. [ 3 Hours]
  5. Human Rights of special category and Marginal Groups: [9 hours]
    1. Rights of the Women,
    2. Rights of the Children
    3. Rights of the Dalit and Tribes
    4. Rights of Minorities
    5. Rights of Old and Disabled
    6. Rights of unorganized Labour & Displaced Persons
  6. Film show. [1 hour]
  7. Paper presentations. [2 hours]
  8. Poster-designing. [2 hours]