European convention on Human Rights

LWM12

This course aims to provide you with a detailed knowledge of how the European human rights legal process has evolved and a critical understanding of the substantive provisions contained in the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR) and its Protocols. The relevant jurisprudence will be examined to illuminate how the substantive provisions have been judicially interpreted and given effect in practice. On completion of this course you should be able to explain the development of the protection afforded to human rights by the ECHR. You should also be familiar with the various institutions involved in affording protection, and possess an in-depth knowledge of the Court. You should have attained critical insight into the scope and extent of the substantive provisions of the ECHR, particularly as developed through the jurisprudence of the Court.

Study as an individual course

Module A: Context and foundations of the European Convention on Human Rights

LWM12A

Background to the adoption of the European Convention on Human Rights
Development and nature of the Convention system
The relationship between the Convention and other international and European norms and mechanisms
Interpreting and limiting Convention rights and freedoms

Module B: The European Convention on Human Rights mechanism

LWM12B

Admissibility
Procedure before the European Court of Human Rights
The nature and effect of Court judgments
Implementing Court judgments
The role of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Module C: European Convention on Human Rights substantive rights (1)

LWM12C

The prohibition on discrimination
The right to life
The prohibition on torture, inhuman and degrading treatment
The prohibition on slavery, the right to liberty and security and freedom of movement

Module D: European Convention on Human Rights substantive rights (2)

LWM12D

The right to respect for private and family life and the right to marry
Freedom of conscience and religion
Freedom of expression, association and assembly
The right to a fair hearing and to an effective remedy

Assessment

Each module is assessed by a 45-minute unseen written exam.

Sequence

It is strongly recommended you attempt module A before B; and modules A and B before C and D.

How to apply

You can apply to study a module individually as a standalone unit or as part of a Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or Master of Laws qualification. (In either scenario, they must be studied in order.)

These modules also contribute towards the following specialist pathways for Laws:

European Law
Human Rights Law
International Dispute Resolution
International Justice
Law and Development
Public International Law
Public Law

Apply via Postgraduate Laws.

Professor Shazia Choudhry

Shazia Choudhry is currently Reader in Law and has been at Queen Mary since 2005. She is also a qualified solicitor and previously practised family law within the specialist legal aid sector. She has held a number of international visiting posts: at Emory Law School, USA; the European University Institute, Italy and the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law, Hamburg. She was appointed Academic Fellow of the Inner Temple from 2014-2017 which is in recognition of her ‘outstanding contribution of legal teaching and research to the Bar of England and Wales.’