Session

Topic

Brief description

Week 1

Introduction

• Introduction of Module 1 objectives, themes, and assessment methodology.
• Present a lecture to define and illustrate essential concepts.
• Each class should close with a short debrief – to acknowledge the sensitivity of the issues, and to remind students of options for additional information or support, if required.
• Exercise 1 – Prior Knowledge

Week 2

The legal nature of standards and norms: an international law overview

• Present a lecture based on the materials presented in the first part of Topic One of the Module (with a particular emphasis on the legitimacy and authoritative character of international law, and the centrality of the concepts of human dignity and human rights in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice).
• Show the following video: Human Rights in 2066 | William Schabas | TEDxZurich [14:58 minutes]
• Group exercise: Divide the class into groups of five to discuss the following questions: 1) Consider and seek agreement within the group on that human rights are universal; 2) Consider and seek agreement within the group on that human rights are not an obstacle to efficient law enforcement.
• Having reached an agreement, students are asked to write up their conclusions on posters and display them on the class walls.
• Request that students read the HRC Communication, in the Corinna Horvath Case (Australia) for the next class.

Week 3

Overview of the structure of the UN instruments, monitoring bodies and mechanisms I

• Present a lecture based on the materials presented in the second part of Topic One of the Module (Including the General Assembly of the United Nations, the International Law Commission, the Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) – and UNODC, the Human Rights Council, including the overview of Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and Special procedures).
• Screen the following video: Human Rights in the 21st Century | Shami Chakrabarti | TEDxUCL [11:11 minutes]
• Exercise: Students should reflect on: what are the international human rights standards in this case that apparently have been violated; how international human rights monitoring and complaints mechanisms work; a broader analysis of which standards and norms (based on their understanding) would be engaged by the case.
• Take some time in this class to assign either Exercise 4 or 5 (the roundtable on prison reform, or the law reform summit). 20 minutes can be allocated for each week to allow students to work on their research – and the roundtable or summit could be held in Week 8.

Week 4

Overview of the structure of the UN instruments, monitoring bodies and mechanisms II

• Present a lecture based on the remaining materials provided in the second part of Topic One of the Module, including:
• the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination;
• the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;
• the Human Rights Committee (CCPR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;
• the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women;
• the Committee against Torture (CAT) and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment;
• the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child;
• the Committee on Migrant Workers (CMW) and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families;
• the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (SPT) and the Optional Protocol of the Convention against Torture (OPCAT);
• the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
• the Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED), and the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CPED).
• 20 minutes for group work in preparation of roundtable or summit.

Week 5

Overview of UN standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice

• Present a lecture based on the materials presented in Topic Two of the Module.
• Show the following video: Aligning Anti-Terrorism Laws with Criminal Law and Human Rights | London School of Economics [6:44 minutes]
• Exercise: Students should find all UN standards and norms relevant for the question of police racial profiling.
• Students should be provided a printed or a digital copy of the relevant UN standards and norms.
• 20 minutes for group work in preparation of roundtable or summit.

Week 6

Standards and norms: texts and documents I

• Lecture based on the materials presented in Topic Two of the Module (including persons in custody, non-custodial sanctions, alternatives to imprisonment, restorative justice, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment).
• Watch the following video with your students: Inside One of Brazil's Dangerously Overcrowded Prisons | AJ+ [1:25 minutes]
• Exercise: Ask students to reflect on the international legal framework (including the relevant standards and norms) that is designed to redress the situation of prison overcrowding shown in the film.
• 20 minutes for group work in preparation of roundtable or summit.

Week 7

Standards and norms: texts and documents II

• Present a lecture based on materials presented in Topic Two of the Module (including capital punishment, justice for children, crime prevention, violence against women, victim issues, good governance, the independence of the judiciary, the integrity of criminal justice personnel and access to legal aid).
• Watch the following video: Justice for victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo | Human Rights [6:49 minutes]
• Exercise: Students should find all UN standards and norms relevant for the adequate policing and prosecution of hate crimes.
• 20 minutes for group work in preparation of roundtable or summit.

Week 8

Roundtable on Prison Reform

or

Summit on Law Reform

• Convene the roundtable or summit to conclude Exercise 4 or 5.

Week 9

Case studies

• This class is dedicated to the assessment of case studies in small groups. Students should be provided with a printed or a digital copy of the materials below and they should answer the following questions: 1. What are the tasks and obligations for (i) police, (ii) prosecutors, (iii) judges, (iv) prison authorities (if relevant), (v) legislators), (vi) NGOs with respect to these cases:
• The Brutality of ‘Corrective Rape’, The New York Times, 27 July 2013
• Alternatives to imprisonment
• Muslim Voices: Perceptions of Policing in India
• Justice for Syrian Victims Beyond Trials: The Need for New, Innovative Uses for Documentation of Human Rights Violations in Syria

Week 10

Course wrap-up

• In addition to the shorter debriefing sessions at the close of each class, lecturers should ensure that the final session in the course follows the advice about a strengths-based approach and ideas to inspire students to act as agents of change.