The Sociology of Human Rights (L3075B)

15 credits, Level 5

Spring teaching

On this module, you’ll explore the historical evolution of human rights, contemporary controversies, and debates about their ongoing validity. You’ll examine key issues through case studies on topics such as:

• gender, citizenship, and migration
• torture and the death penalty
• development and corporate abuses of human rights
• treatment of migrants and asylum seekers.

You’ll consider critical questions, including:

• whether human rights are inherently Eurocentric and entangled with colonial histories
• if non-European human rights epistemologies can transcend these histories
• whether judicial human rights frameworks can be revitalised through grassroots organisations and NGOs.

The module uses international examples, such as Guantanamo Bay, the death penalty in the US and Saudi Arabia, and the treatment of migrants in Europe, to analyse the challenges and possibilities for human rights in a post-human rights era. You’ll engage with a range of sources including literature, news media and social media.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 22 hours of contact time and about 128 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.