Hiroshima University Syllabus

Back to syllabus main page
Japanese
Academic Year 2026Year School/Graduate School Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences (Master's Course) Division of Humanities and Social Sciences International Peace and Co-existence Program
Lecture Code WMG02101 Subject Classification Specialized Education
Subject Name Law and Human Rights
Subject Name
(Katakana)
 
Subject Name in
English
Law and Human Rights
Instructor KATAYANAGI MARI
Instructor
(Katakana)
カタヤナギ マリ
Campus Higashi-Hiroshima Semester/Term 1st-Year,  First Semester,  2Term
Days, Periods, and Classrooms (2T) Mon5-8:IDEC 201
Lesson Style Lecture Lesson Style
(More Details)
Face-to-face
Lecture, discussion, and students' presentations
 
Credits 2.0 Class Hours/Week 4 Language of Instruction E : English
Course Level 5 : Graduate Basic
Course Area(Area) 24 : Social Sciences
Course Area(Discipline) 01 : Law
Eligible Students M1&2
Keywords Law, human rights, global issues, SDG_01, SDG_02, SDG_03, SDG_04, SDG_05, SDG_06, SDG_08, SDG_10, SDG_16, SDG_17 
Special Subject for Teacher Education   Special Subject  
Class Status
within Educational
Program
(Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)
 
Criterion referenced
Evaluation
(Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)
 
Class Objectives
/Class Outline
The course objective is to understand human rights and international human rights law by examining various problems in our world today. Participants are NOT required to have knowledge of international human rights law in advance, as the class purports to introduce human rights instruments through concrete cases. For that purpose, the course starts with thematic classes and looks at the human rights protection mechanism in the lesson 14. 
Class Schedule lesson1 Introduction – Human rights and our daily life
lesson2 Rights-based approaches
Mazanhi, P., & Chavunduka, C. (2025). Securing Rights to Communal Land in Zimbabwe: Finding Human-Rights-Based Solutions. Journal of Human Rights Practice, 17(2), huaf005.
lesson3 Child Rights
Hamamra, B., Mahamid, F., & Mayaleh, A. (2025). Childhood under siege: battling malnutrition, disease, and despair during genocide in Gaza. Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, 44(1), 321.
Olayiwola, P. (2026). 'They Just Have to Adopt These Conventions’: Anti-child Trafficking Policies and Politics in Nigeria. Journal of Human Trafficking, 12(1), 97-107.
lesson4 Gender Equality
lesson5 Human Rights of Refugees
lesson6 Right to Political Participation
lesson7 Human Rights and Equality
lesson8 Migrants' Rights
lesson9 Technologies and Human Rights
lesson10 Business and Human Rights
lesson11 Workshop - presentation on your research topic and human rights
lesson12 Workshop - presentation on your research topic and human rights
lesson13 International Human Rights Mechanisms
lesson14 Regional Human Rights Courts
lesson15 Human rights advocacy

A term paper is required at the end of the course. 
Text/Reference
Books,etc.
Textbook is not specified. Reading materials will be notified and distributed in advance. Reference books and articles will be introduced during the course. 
PC or AV used in
Class,etc.
Text, Visual Materials, moodle
(More Details) Power Point, audio-visual material 
Learning techniques to be incorporated Discussions
Suggestions on
Preparation and
Review
Reading material will be specified prior to the class and students are required to read it in advance and actively participate in discussion. 
Requirements Class language will be English. Since this course will include students with varied academic backgrounds, our discussion will be based on various actual challenges today. Knowledge of law is not the prerequisite for this course and you will learn the international human rights law through the course. 
Grading Method Assessment based on contribution to the class, a presentation and a term paper 
Practical Experience Experienced  
Summary of Practical Experience and Class Contents based on it I have experiences in a UN peacekeeping operation as well as peacebuilding in an international organisation. Human rights work in peacekeeping and peacebuilding will be referred to in the class. 
Message The topics and reading materials for the first three lessons are as listed above. For the following lessons, the indicated topics are provisional, and the course structure will be revised based on the interests of participating students. 
Other   
Please fill in the class improvement questionnaire which is carried out on all classes.
Instructors will reflect on your feedback and utilize the information for improving their teaching. 
Back to syllabus main page