Course Summary:

Human rights research needs a more rigorous and coherent focus on methodological issues. The subject is complex and needs careful attention over a period of time.

Human rights research is not in itself an academic discipline but a field of research where different disciplines apply their own research questions, approaches and methodologies. While the legal discipline obviously has a long history of studying rights, social science has only recently overcome their human rights skepticism and delved into this field of inquiry.

In conducting research, there seems to be a certain degree of sloppiness in terms of awareness of methodological rigor in much of today’s human rights research.

Course Objectives:

• to strengthen respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms
• to value human dignity and develop individual self-respect and respect for others
• to develop attitudes and behaviours that will lead to respect for the rights of others
• to ensure genuine gender equality and equal opportunities for women and men in all spheres
• to promote respect, understanding and appreciation of diversity, particularly towards different national, ethnic, religious, linguistic and other minorities and communities
• to empower people towards more active citizenship
• to promote democracy, development, social justice, communal harmony, solidarity and friendship among people and nations
• to further the activities of international institutions aimed at the creation of a culture of peace, based upon universal values of human rights, international understanding, tolerance and non-violence.

Course Outline

CONCEPTUAL BACKGROUND OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND DUTIES

• Rights : inherent, inalienable, universal, indivisible
• Values : Dignity, liberty, equality, justice, unity in diversity
• Need for balance between Rights and Duties, Freedom and Responsibility

PHILOSOPHICAL AND HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES

• Theories of human rights
• History of human rights civilization
• Human rights movements

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARDS

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
• International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 

HUMAN RIGHTS AND DUTIES IN AFRICA

• Evolution: Independence movement, making of the Constitution
• Fundamental Rights
• Directive Principles
• Fundamental duties
• Their Interrelationship
• Enforcement and protection mechanism of human rights in Africa
• Judiciary
• National Human Rights Commission and other Commissions and Committees
• Non-governmental organizations
• Information Media
• Education

SOCIETAL PROBLEMS

• Poverty, underdevelopment and illiteracy
• Women, children and the disadvantaged groups

IMPORTANCE OF INTERNALIZING HUMAN RIGHTS AND DUTIES
Importance of internalizing Human Rights Values - Urgent need for not only sensitizing others of human rights and duties, but of practising oneself those values: self-inculcation, endeavour to live up to those ideals - Duty to respect others' rights, respect each other's human dignity