Introduction

Welcome to the first of three courses which make up the 12 week ExpertTrack entitled Critical International Human Rights Law.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Sian Lewis-Anthony; I am Senior Lecturer in Law at Kent Law School, University of Kent. I thoughtfully designed this course with you in mind. Throughout this ExpertTrack, you will get to know my voice via audio and videos. This ExpertTracks is unfacilitated, so you won’t see me in the comments, but I encourage you to speak with your peers in the discussion and make the most of each course.

International human rights law is an exciting and ever-evolving area of international law. News media are replete with stories of human rights violations, whether at home or abroad. But, what are human rights, from whence did they originate, and are they relevant for everyone irrespective of culture, religion, class, sex, race etc? These are some of the questions you will be examining during the next 12 weeks.

I hope you come away from this ExpertTrack impassioned by the subject, and perhaps ready to play a small part in making the world a better place for everyone. Whatever the motivation for taking this course, I do hope you will enjoy the materials provided as well as the experience of discussing some of the issues with your peers.

The video you are about to watch here will tell you a little about me, a little about the component parts of this ExpertTrack, and will introduce you to the ground we will cover this week.

By the end of this week you should be able to:

• Identify the significance of international human rights law as a departure from traditional international law
• Identify what constitutes international human rights law and its purposes
• Describe the relationship between human rights and the state Recognise the place of human dignity in human rights law