CSHR: All courses

Key Information

Human Rights Norms and Mechanisms - Part I

Code	Lecture Topics
A1	What are human rights? Philosophical and normative foundations of human rights
A2	Philosophical critiques of human rights
A3	Sovereignty, Cosmopolitanism and Institutionalisation
A4	Introduction to Public International Law (PIL) - Part I
A5	Introduction to Public International Law (PIL) - Part II
A6	The formation and structure of the United Nations (Part I)
A7	UN Human Rights Framework and key institutions (Part I)
A8 (1)	UN Treaty-based Mechanisms
A8 (2)	UN Charter-based Mechanisms
A9	Key IHRL Documents, overview
A10	Key IHRL Documents, overview
A11	UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) - Part (I) UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) - Part (II)
A12	UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)
A13	Introduction to Human Rights Mechanisms
A14	Human rights obligations of Non-state actors

Democracy: Theory and Practice

Content:

Code	Lecture Topics
Introductory lectures: Concepts
B1 (1)	Introduction to Democracy and Democratisation - Part (I)
B1 (2)	Introduction to Democracy and Democratisation - Part (II) Additional
B2	Interdependence between Democracy and Human Rights
B3 (1)	Democracy, Equality, Justice and Popular Sovereignty - Part (I)
B3 (2)	Democracy, Equality, Justice and Popular Sovereignty - Part (II) Additional
B4	Democracy, and the Rule of Law
Democratic Systems and Structures
B5	Systems of Constitutional Governance (introduction)
B6	Constitutionalism, Rule of Law and the Independence of the Judiciary
B7	Independence of Public Service
B8	Dilemmas of Democracy and the role of (Sri Lankan) Civil Society
B9	Democratic Accountability (political, legal, and Judicial)
B10	The Electoral System
B11	Developments in a discourse on liberal democracy in the Asia-Pacific region
B12	Group Rights/Minority Rights and Democracy
B13	Human Rights and Democracy during (national/global) crises (man-made or natural causes)
B14	Transitional Democracy (global context)

Teacher: Kaushalya Ariyarathne

Dynamics of Human Rights Violations

Code	Lecture Topics
Introductory lectures
C1	Introduction to transitional justice: dilemmas of dealing with the past
C2	Introduction to transitional justice components and standards
C3	Human rights law and the development of transitional justice principles
C4	Transitional justice and international criminal justice
Transitional Justice and the Constitution
C5	Introduction: relationship between constitutions and transitional justice
C6	Constitutional making/reforms: overcoming barriers to Transitional Justice policies and mechanisms
C7	Constitutional making/ reform: a tool for non-recurrence
C8	Sequencing TJ and constitutional reforms.
Interventions – advocacy, policy options, impact evaluations
C9	Practical and policy considerations: Negotiating a TJ policy
C10	Assessing the impact of transitional justice policies
C11	Truth and Reconciliation mandate
C12	Case study: Nepal, Sri Lanka
C13	Arts for reconciliation / transitional justice/ Transitional Justice outside of formal institutions

Teacher: Kaushalya Ariyarathne

Human Rights and Democratisation Research

Code	Lecture Topics
D1	Introduction: What is research? [The relevance of research in human rights protection and promotion and the usefulness of a critical approach to research]
D2	Research Ethics
D3	Methodological Debates, Options and Issues - Part (I)
D4	Methodological Debates, Options and Issues - Part (II)
D5	Qualitative Methods -Part (I)
D6	Qualitative Methods - Part (II)
D7	Qualitative Methods - Part (III)
D8	Quantitative Methods – Part (I), Qualitative and Quantitative data, Quantitative methods of data collection
D9	Quantitative Methods – Part (II), Random and non-random sampling
D10	Quantitative Methods – Part (III), Data processing
D11	Quantitative Methods – Part (IV), Data analysis and presentation
D12	Fieldwork and Participatory Research
D13 & D14	Designing research, formulating research questions and making methodological choices (Part I)
D13 & D14	Designing research, formulating research questions and making methodological choices (Part I)
D15 & D16	Designing research, formulating research questions and making methodological choices (Part II)
D15 & D16	Designing research, formulating research questions and making methodological choices (Part II)
D17	Argumentation based on research
D18	Developing a research proposal
D19	Presenting Research

Teacher: Kaushalya Ariyarathne

Human Rights Norms and Mechanisms - Part II

Code	Lecture Topics
Implementation / Interpretation of Human Rights
F1	Implementing State obligations: introduction to theoretical basis and practical implementation of international law in domestic systems
Implementation of Civil and Political Rights
F2	Freedom of expression and media freedom
F3	Freedom of conscience, religion and belief: legal perspectives
F4	Freedom of conscience, religion and belief: sociological and political perspectives
Implementation of Economic, Cultural and Social Rights
F5	Economic, social and cultural rights: justiciability and indivisibility issues
F6	The right to health
F7	The right to education
F8	The right to housing
Interpretation of Key Conventions
F9	The CEDAW convention and gender based violence
F10	European convention on human rights/EU law on human rights
F11	The American system, OAS, The African system ACHR on human rights
F12	Overview of key ILO Conventions (part 1)
F13	Overview of key ILO Conventions (part 11)
F14	CRC and juvenile justice
Other
F15	International humanitarian law and its impact on human rights
F16	International criminal law: ICC and Ad Hoc tribunals
F17	Universal periodic review (special procedures)

Teacher: Kaushalya Ariyarathne

Critical and Emerging Issues in the Region

Code	Lecture Topics
The normative (cultural, religious) contexts in the Asia Pacific region
G1	Critical approaches to human rights discourse (including a discourse on Asian values)
G2	Cultural relativism and human rights; contemporary discourse
G3	Human rights and the impact of religion-inspired nationalism
Relationship between deficits in democracy, processes of democratisation and human rights
G4	Democracy in South Asia: Critical and Emerging Issues
G5	Democracy, Liberal Constitutionalism and Asian Values: Lessons from East Asia
G6 (I)	Human Rights Discourses in the Context of Postcolonialism and the Challenge of Nation Building
G6 (II)	Discourse on Democracy and Human Rights in Post-Colonial Sri Lanka: Prospects & Challenges'
Human rights and development discourses (in the region)
G7	Globalization, its impact on rights consciousness and democracy
G8	Human rights, international financial institutions (IFIs) and the WTO
G9	Multinational Corporations and Human Rights
Human rights and the development discourse
G10	Sustainable development: economic, environmental and social dimensions
G11	The the rights-based approach to development and the right to development
G12	New development paradigm: the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
G13	Implementation of socio-economic rights - a positive obligation
Key issues of concern in the Asia Pacific region
G14	Emerging labour issues: child labour
G15	International standards on migration and migrant workers: regional perspectives
G16	Human trafficking: international standards and regional perspectives
G17	National security/human security – both domestic and international
G18	Critical and emerging issues in feminist Discourse
G19	Disability and human rights – comparative policy perspectives
G20	LGBTQ rights: comparative approaches
G21	Religious Extremism in South Asia
G22	Nexus Between Environment and Human Rights