Origins

Human Rights in International Law

In this course, Dr Frederick Cowell (Birkbeck, University of London) explores human rights in international law. In the first module, we delve into the origins of international human rights law. In the second module, we look at the impact of the aftermath of WWII for international human rights. In the third module, we consider the role of the United Nations in the creation of treaties on international human rights, before turning to the UN’s commitment to the elimination of racial discrimination and injustice in the fourth module. In the fifth module, we look at the development of women’s rights in the context of international human rights law, with special reference to the Commission on the Status of Women and creation of CEDAW.

Origins

In this module, we look at the origins of international human rights law, focusing in particular on (i) the idea of human rights rooted in the western philosophical tradition (ii) the historical foundations of modern international human rights law (iii) the origins of international humanitarian law governing the conduct of armed hostilities in the Hague Convention (1899) (iv) the development of international treaties following WWI (v) the nature of international human rights law today.