Course Summary:

This course offers an introduction to comparative human and constitutional rights law. The first part introduces the students to the structure and basic doctrines of human rights law and to the nature and methodology of comparative law. The following parts cover a range of important and controversial issues in human rights law: abortion; euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide; “deviant” sexual practices; gay marriage; religion in the public sphere; hate speech and denial of the Holocaust; obscenity and blasphemy; socio-economic rights; terrorism and human rights. These topics are approached by studying and comparing judgments from various influential courts all over the world

Course Objectives:

The goals of the course are, first, to introduce the delegates to the jurisprudence of the above-mentioned powerful and influential courts, and, second, to enable them to think about and critically analyse some of the most controversial, difficult, and important rights issues of our time from a comparative perspective.

Course Outline

Introduction

• Introduction to Human and Constitutional Rights Law
• Introduction to Comparative Law

Life and Death

• Abortion
• Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide

 Sexuality

• “Deviant” Sexual Practices: Sodomy, Sado-Masochistic Sex and Incest
• Gay Marriage

 Religion

• Religion in the Public Sphere: Muslim Dress, Crucifixes, and the Ten Commandments

 Freedom of expression/Speech

• Hate Speech and Denial of the Holocaust
• Obscenity and Blasphemy

 Contemporary Challenges

• Socio-Economic Rights
• Terrorism and Human Rights

 Cross-Cutting Issues

• The Future of Comparative Human and Constitutional Rights Law