JJUB55070U Human Rights in the European Union
The course will provide the students with a better understanding of the different aspects of human rights protection within the European Union. The course’s aim is to enable the students to engage in debate about the role of the European Court of Justice as a human rights court as well as give them knowledge about substantive human rights, such as the right to privacy, and their respective protection within the EU.
However, the course will decidedly not provide a linear narrative of the selected topics, but engage the students in a process of discovery and debate with the aim to equip them for solving complex legal problems and meet the legal challenges that face the EU legal human rights order.
Human rights have come to be an important part of EU law. Since the European Court of Justice first introduced fundamental rights protection as an integral part of the Community legal order, it has faced much criticism from both national and international lawyers as well as many other challenges. For example, the ECJ has had to find its place as a human rights court in a global society in which the European Court of Human Rights and the United Nations treaty bodies to a wide extent protect essentially the same rights. The course will provide an insight into the scope and nature of the EU human rights protection as well as comparative studies of the ECJ and the case law from other human rights institutions on selected human rights issues, such as the right to privacy.
The learning outcomes for the course are fundamental to the
understanding of the subject and therefore generally apply
to BA students. All students will be expected to
contribute positively to class-room discussions, regardless of
degree level.
- Identify the basis, history and framework of the
human rights protection of the European Court of Justice,
- Identify the role and competencies of the ECJ
- Understand the structure of the European Charter of
Fundamental Rights and of the individual Articles, as well as of
the function of the European Court of Justice,
- Understand the relation between the ECJ and other
relevant international human rights institutions (primarily the
European Court of Human Rights and the UN treaty bodies),
- Explain the ECJ’s principles of interpretation and
their effect on fundamental and human rights in the EU
- Discuss - orally or in writing - the quality of a
judgment or a line in case law of the ECJ on the basis of existing
case law and the general principles of interpretation,
- Identify the legal issues involved in real or
hypothetical cases, and explain the relevance of ECJ jurisprudence
to them,
- Reflect upon possible development trends in the
future,
- Communicate and formulate her/his knowledge and
arguments linguistically correct and in a way that is structured
and coherent.
- folder of selected articles, cases, commentaries and
reports
- 500 – 550 pages in total
- For Bachelor student’s more explanatory texts will be offered in the additional reading
A basic knowledge of public international law is recommended.
Students must have a reasonable command of English.
- Category
- Hours
- Preparation
- 229
- Seminar
- 46
- Total
- 275
- Credit
- 10 ECTS
- Type of assessment
- Written examination, 2 daysAssigned individual written assignment, 2 days
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
- Exam period
December 11 - 13, 2017
- Re-exam
Please see "Academic calendar" on KUnet.
Criteria for exam assesment
- the legal basis for the human rights protection in the EU
- the scope of the human rights protection in the EU
- the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human
Rights
- the European Court of Justice and the United Nations treaty
bodies
- the European Charter of Human Rights
- current Human Rights Challenges in the EU
- selected substantive rights and their protection within the
legal framework of the EU(e.g. right to privacy, freedom of speech,
free movement and the right to family)
Course information
- Language
- English
- Course code
- JJUB55070U
- Credit
- 10 ECTS
- Level
- BachelorBachelor choice
- Duration
- 1 semester
- Placement
- Autumn
- Schedule
- Please see timetable for teaching time
- Study board
- Law
Contracting department
- Law
Course Coordinators
- Jens Elo Rytter (15-536e777c374e7578375b827d7d6e7b49737e7b37747e376d74)