General entry requirements + English 6

Human rights is a concept that is used more frequently in today’s society by states, civil society and the private sector. The programme provides students with an understanding and knowledge of what constitutes human rights, how human rights are utilised and how the development of human rights is a result of transformation in the world. Human rights imply that all people are born free, are of equal value and have equal rights. The respect for and the promotion of human rights are widely accepted by the international community by its commitment to international and national human rights law, by its promotion in politics and by its philosophical and religious origins. However, the interpretation and content of human rights are at the same time challenged by numerous actors in the international community.

The purpose of the bachelor’s programme in Human Rights is to provide students with an understanding and knowledge of what constitutes human rights, how they are implemented and applied, and how the advancement in this field of study is a consequence of changes in world politics and the development of society.

The programme is comprised of six semesters of study and leads to a Bachelor’s degree in Human Rights.

Semester one consists of Human Rights I and provides an introduction to the multidisciplinary approach to human rights characteristic of the programme, i.e. as it relates to law, politics and philosophy.

Semester two consists of Human Rights II, which is an advancement of Human Rights I. The multidisciplinary perspectives from Human Rights I are studied and analysed in depth by tracing the historical and philosophical origins of the contemporary human rights discourse and connecting it to current human rights issues. Human rights II is finalised by a methods module and a project work.

Semester three and four consist of elective studies, which makes it possible for the student to enroll in various exchange programmes, or combine their studies with an internship (one semester), as long as the programme coordinator deems the internship to be relevant to the study programme.

Semester five consists of specialised courses within a range of multidisciplinary areas in law, politics, philosophy and religion, for example: Children’s Best Interests in Theory and Practice, Forced Migration in a Human Rights Perspective, Global Justice, International Crimes and Criminal Law, or The Right to Life and Modern Conceptions of Life.

The last semester, semester six, consists of Human Rights III, which includes a theory and method course and is finalised with a Bachelor thesis comprising 15 credits.

Knowledge and understanding

In order to receive a bachelor's degree in Human Rights, the student shall:

• demonstrate understanding of how human rights are regulated in national legislation and international law, and comprehends the relationship between these two systems;
• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the political dimensions of the development and application of human rights;
• demonstrate knowledge and a fundamental understanding of the structure of human rights theories and inducement, in addition to the questions and issues the theories are designed to analyse; and
• demonstrate knowledge of human rights in an international political context.

Competencies and skills

In order to receive a bachelor's degree in Human Rights, the student shall:

• be able to identify, formulate and resolve problems related to human rights from judicial, political and philosophical perspectives;
• possess the skills to apply theories of human rights needed to analyse and evaluate factual conditions and phenomena;
• demonstrate the ability to write academic texts, and give an account of human rights related projects orally and in writing;
• show the ability to accomplish tasks individually or collectively within agreed time frames; and
• use their competence as a basis for a career or further research in relevant areas.

Evaluation and approach

In order to receive a bachelor's degree in Human Rights, the student shall:

• demonstrate the ability to independently analyse and interpret the development of human rights from a multidisciplinary perspective;
• demonstrate the ability to make rational judgements drawing on various methodological aspects within the field of human rights and
• be able to independently evaluate and reflect critically on questions concerning human rights and the role they play in society today.

Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Human Rights requires completion of 180 credits, of which at least 90 credits must be within the main field of Human Rights and include a Bachelor's Thesis.

The course syllabi state the entry requirements for progression within the programme.

A decision to discontinue a programme will result in the programme syllabus ceasing to be valid. However, students will have the opportunity to complete their studies within the nominal period of study (calculated from the last admission to the programme's first semester) and during at least the following two semesters, known as the ’discontinuation period’.

The programme syllabus is a translation of a Swedish source text.