What is International Human Rights Law?

The slow development of international human right law began with 1948's adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This was followed by 1965's adoption of the first binding UN human-rights treaty.

This course is four weeks long and will examine the nature and evolution of international human rights law. It will also ask questions about its geography and history, and how it has impacted on the question of its universality.

We'll take you through time to show you some of the most important moments that led to international human rights law.

You'll learn about the history of the Magna Carta and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, or ICCPR.

Week three of the course will discuss the widely-held universality of human right; the arguments in favor and against the notion that all human rights laws are applicable and relevant to everyone, anywhere on the planet.

In order to evaluate universality claims, you'll look at the historical background leading to the adoption of the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

This week's final week will be spent examining the UN human rights system. It includes both the treaties and the bodies that oversee the implementation. A brief overview of regional systems to protect human rights will be provided.