Utrecht University Human Rights for Open Societies
About this Course
Human rights are under pressure in many places across the globe. Peaceful protests are violently quashed. Voting is tampered with. And minorities are often excluded from decision-making. All of this threatens the ideal of an open society in which each of us can be free and participate equally. A solid protection of human rights is needed for an open society to exist and to flourish. But it is often an uphill battle to work towards that ideal. Equip yourself and learn more about what human rights are and how they work.
In this course, we will introduce you to one of the world’s most intricate human rights systems: the European Convention on Human Rights. You will see when and how people can turn to the European Court of Human Rights to complain about human rights violations. You will learn how the Court tries to solve many of the difficult human rights dilemmas of today. We will look, amongst other things, at the freedom of expression and demonstration, the right to vote, and the prohibition of discrimination.
And we will address the rights of migrants, refugees, and other vulnerable groups. And, of course, we will see whether it is possible to restrict rights and if so under what conditions. You will even encounter watchdogs and ice cream in this course. We invite you to follow us on a journey of discovery into the European Convention!
Utrecht University
Founded in 1636 and located in the heart of the Netherlands, Utrecht University is one of Europe’s leading research universities, recognised internationally for a high-quality, innovative approach to research and teaching. Studying at Utrecht University means studying at one of the world’s best universities, with a total student body of around 30,000 students and 12 Nobel prize winners.Utrecht University offers over 90 graduate programmes (MSc, MA) and 12 undergraduate programmes (BSc, BA, LLM). All programmes are fully English-taught, and cover a wide range of academic disciplines including Natural Sciences, Law, Governance, Life Sciences, Humanities, Social Sciences and Earth Sciences.