The aim:
1. Introducing key concepts of human rights.
2. Introducing the international framework of human rights protection.
3. Studying sources of human rights law.
4. Discussing challenges to effective human rights protection.

Acquired knowledge:
1. Students gain knowledge of theories of human rights.
2. Students gain knowledge of sources of human rights and their interpretations.
3. Students identify potential human rights violations.
4. Students characterize the challenges to human rights protection stemming from the criminal law and enforcement.

Acquired skills:
1. Students learn to interpret legal sources.
2. Students learn to apply human rights standards in a given context.
3. Students learn to critically analyse human rights case-law.
4. Students learn to present legal arguments related to human rights protection.
5. Students compare and assess alternative existing remedies to human rights protection.

Acquired social skills:
1. Students gain awareness about problems related to international human rights protection and the implementation of human rights standards at the national or local level.
2. Students are sensitive to human rights abuses.
3. Students learn to work in teams and individually with case studies.
4. Students learn to convicingly present their opinions.
5. Students learn to participate in a discussion on controversial topics (abortion, euthanasia, death penalty, torture, fruits of a poisoned tree, conditions of detention, hate crimes, etc).

Course contents: 
1. A short history of human rights.
2. International system of human rights protection.
3. Human rights protection within the Council of Europe.
4. The European Convention of Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights.
5. The right to life.
6. Prohibition of torture and inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment.
7. Protection of liberty.
8. Right to a fair trial.
9. Right to protection of private and family life and secrecy of correspondence.
10. Prohibition against discrimination.

Recommended reading: 
1. Human rights and their limits, Osiatyński W., Cambridge University Press. Third Edition 2012.
2. Textbook on International Human Rights, Smith R., Oxford University Press. Seventh Edition 2016.
3. The European Convention on Human Rights , Jacobs F., White R. and Ovey C., Oxford University Press. Seventh Edition 2020.
4. Human Rights and the Criminal Justice System, Amatrudo A., Blake L.W. , Routledge. First Edition 2015.