Gender and Human Rights

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course provides a critical appraisal of international human rights laws relating to women. It considers the role of the law in the construction, reinforcement and breakdown of gendered inequalities, as well as gendered assumptions that inform the processes of law, legal method and law making. In this course, students shall consider gender justice and inequality in the regional (MENA) and international contexts in light of international legal frameworks. Most notably, assessment of substantive content and state responses to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) shall form a foundational element to the course, with due regard to theories of cultural relativism. The equalities framework in UK law shall also be used as a comparative tool, to explore legal responses to calls for gender equality. Finally, as part of the syllabus, students shall be introduced to a range of feminist theories with a specific focus on feminist legal theory.