78
Åbo Akademi University 2014/2015
LAW AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Target audience: Students of international law/law. Optional
specialization course for students taking part in the Master's
Degree Programme in International Human Rights Law (of-
fered every second year).
Entry requirements: Registration during first course session.
Should a student not be able to participate in the first session,
he or she should contact
before the
course starts.
Course literature:
1. Jan Klabbers, An Introduction to International Institutional
Law, 2009, 2nd Edition, Cambridge University Press.
2. Material distributed during the lectures and through the
homepage of the course.
The Surveillance Society and Human Rights
5 credits
Intermediate/Advanced level, please see prerequisites
Lectured course
Offered: Spring 2015
Lecturers: Professor Martin Scheinin (European University
Institute, Florence), former UN Special Rapporteur on Human
Rights and Counter-Terrorism, and Audelina Ahumada, PhD
Student.
Contact: Audelina Ahumada (PhD Student), audelina.ahu-
Aim: The aim of the course is to introduce the participants
to the concept of surveillance society, familiarize them with
the challenges specific areas of surveillance poses to the en-
joyment of human rights, and to direct the participants into
independent analysis and writing.
Content: The course will address the implications of the
surveillance society with particular focus on human rights,
including the rights to privacy, data protection and non-
discrimination. Specific cases tobe elaborated are surveillance
in the context of counter-terrorismmeasures, surveillance in
the border control context, and a methodology to evaluate
the fundamental rights impact of surveillance technology.
Learning outcomes: After the course the participants are
expected to have an understanding of the implications of
surveillance society for democracy and human rights, and
the ability to identify key human rights issues arising from
the use of surveillance as a counter-terrorism measure and
surveillance in the border control context.
Mode of study: 20-25 hours of lectures and seminars
Form of assessment: 3-4 written assignments/essays
Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of international human rights
law (substantive rights and mechanisms) is required of the
participants. Exchange students need to be pre-approved for
the course. For information on pre-approval, please contact
the international office.
Target audience: Target audience is students of law or in-
ternational law. Optional specialization course for students
taking part in theMaster's Degree Programme in International
Human Rights Law.
Entry requirements: Participants are selected based on appli-
cation (max. 30 participants). On-line application (information
on the application will be provided here
/
institution/en/studierrvi by September 2014).
Course literature: A list of readings will be provided to the
course participants at the beginning of the course.
Autonomy and Participation
345125.1 (lectures and exam) and 345125.2 (essay)
5 (+5) credits
Intermediate/Advanced level, please see prerequisites
Lectured course
Offered: Spring 2015
Lecturer(s): Heidi Öst, Doctoral Candidate
Contact: Heidi Öst,
Aim and content:
.
to explore the notion of self-determination especially
from the point of view of internal self-determination
and to connect it to the notion of (internal) sovereignty.
.
to review the role of elections and referendums in the
context of self-determination and autonomy.
.
to study the case of the Åland Islands and other au-
tonomy arrangements as examples of autonomy and
self-government.
Learning outcomes: After the course the students should:
.
be able tounderstand, explain anddiscuss legal concepts
such as the right of self-determination of peoples, ter-
ritorial self-government and autonomy in their external
and internal sense.
.
have an understanding of the relevance of various forms
of self-government and autonomy as means of ethnic
conflict resolution.
.
understand the role of elections and referendums with
regard to the implementation of autonomy solutions to
such conflicts.
.
have a good knowledge of the autonomy of the Åland
Islands, including its historical background.
Mode of study: Lectures, examination (5 credits) and an op-
tional essay (5 credits).
Target group: Students of law, international law, international
relations or development studies. Optional specialization
course for students taking part inMaster's Degree Programme
in International Human Rights Law. The course is a parallel
course in English to course 345112.0
Ålands självstyrelse
(10 cr).
Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of international human rights
law recommended. The number of participants is limited to
30 students. Exchange students need to be pre-approved for
the course. For information on pre-approval, please contact
the international office.
Entry requirements: Registration during first course session.
Form of assessment: Written exam (5 ECTS) and an essay (12-
15 pages, 5 ECTS).
For 345125.1: L
iterature for the exam:
1. Thomas Benedikter, TheWorld'sWorking Regional Autono-
mies - An Introduction and Comparative Analysis. London,
New York & Delhi: Anthem Press, 2007, (the number of pages
to be read according to specification in the course database
MinPlan).
2. Thomas Benedikter (ed.), Solving Ethnic Conflict through
Self-Government - a Short Guide to Autonomy in Europe and
South Asia. Bozen/Bolzano: Eurac, 2009, 134 pages.
3. Markku Suksi, 'Keeping the Lid on the Secession Kettle - a
Review of Legal Interpretations concerning Claim5 of Self-
Determination by Minority Populations', pp. 189-226 in
International Journal on Minority Rights and Group Rights
12:2005. 30 pages.
4. Markku Suksi, Sub-state governance through territorial au-
tonomy: a comparative study in constitutional lawof powers,
procedures and institutions. New York: Springer, 2011 (the
number of pages to be read according to specification in the
course database MinPlan).
Selected literature, conventions and policy documents
are provided on the course website and/or in the form of
handouts.
For 345125.2
, the student should contact the responsible
teacher right after the exam to agree on the topic of the essay.
Form of assessment: Essay. Length: 12-15 pages of text, font:
New Times Roman 12, line space: 1,5, L/Rmargin: 3 cm.
