The development of international human rights law started quite slowly, with the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, and the first binding UN human rights treaty adopted nearly 20 years later in 1965.

On this four-week course, you’ll examine the nature of international human rights law, asking questions about the history and geography of its evolution and whether its particular history and geography have had an impact on the question of its alleged universality.

Discover the history of human rights law

You’ll travel through time to examine some of the monumental moments that led to the development of international human rights law.

From the Magna Carta to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (the ICCPR), you’ll explore the different steps that got us where we currently are.

Explore whether human rights are truly universal

During week three of this course, you’ll discuss the much-claimed universality of human rights; the arguments for and against the idea that human rights law is applicable and relevant to all people in any part of the world.

You’ll examine the history leading up to the adoption of the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and consider the role of state sovereignty, in an attempt to assess universality claims.

Learn about the norms, systems and institutions designed to protect human rights

The final week in this course will take you through the UN human rights system, examining both treaties and the bodies designed to oversee the implementation of human rights. You will also look briefly at regional systems for the protection of human rights.