About the lecture

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.

About the lecturer

Dr Frederick Cowell is a Senior Lecturer in Law at Birkbeck College, University of London. He is the head of the undergraduate Human Rights law module, and his research interests are in human rights and public international law, particularly the protection of human rights by international organisations and anti-discrimination in international human rights law. His recent publications include Critically examining the case against the 1998 Human Rights Act (2017), and Reservations to Human Rights treaties in recommendations from the Universal Periodic Review: an emerging practice? (2021).