Summer Law Programs > Rome

Course Information - Summer 2013

Class Schedule

 (A 5-minute break is included for each class meeting)

Students may take either 3 or 4 credits in any combination of courses they choose.

Final Exam Schedule:

Examinations for the 2-credit courses will be on administered on Thursday, June 6 (International Human Rights Law), and Friday, June 7, 2013 (International Environmental Law and Human Rights and Telecommunications, Media and Human Rights). The course grade in Catholic Social Thought and Human Rights Theory will be based on a short paper, which must be submitted online on or before noon on Friday, June 15th, 2013. An exam schedule with precise examination times will be available prior to final course selection so that you can weigh this information in your course selection.

Course Descriptions
(Enrollment in each class is projected to be capped at 25, determined in the order in which we receive applicant deposits and final registration forms.)

International Human Rights Law (2 cr) - This course explores the development of international human rights standards and the role of international organizations in establishing and applying those rights. The materials focus on the development of the international law of human rights, particular areas of current attention, the legal basis for the authority of international bodies to act, the resolution of disputes between nations, and the monitoring and enforcement mechanisms applicable to human rights. Attention will also be given to the relationship between international human rights law and domestic legal remedies as well as to the interpretation and application of treaties in the legal systems of the states that are parties to them. Examination. Professor Simon

International Environmental Law and Human Rights (2 cr)  - This course explores international environmental law through the lens of human rights law.  It will begin with a study of the substantive law that seeks to protect environmental rights.  It will then cover both the related procedural safeguards needed to protect those rights and those other human rights that are implicated in the protection of the environment.  By the end of this course, students should have an introductory understanding of the connections between environmental protection and human rights, including an appreciation for the tensions that can arise between them;  the major sources of international law that may create substantive environmental rights;  the ways in which traditional human rights law may have environmental implications;  the role of various international, regional, and national institutions in protecting or advancing environmental and human rights;   the complex policy questions that arise when both environmental degradation and environmental remediation may impact human rights;  and an introduction to a variety of economic, religious, and scientific approaches to the question of environmental law and human rights. Examination. Professor Silecchia 

Telecommunications, Media, and Human Rights (2 cr.) - Telecommunications and the media can play an important role in protecting global human rights by facilitating people’s access to information, fostering economic opportunity, and supporting establishment of democratic societies. In some nations, however, governmental practices such as media censorship, blocking access to the Internet, and use of telecommunications technology for surveillance and monitoring pose a serious threat to human rights. This course explores the relationship between telecommunications, media, and the protection of human rights around the globe. Class sessions will provide students with a basic understanding of both the capabilities of today’s telecommunications technologies and various laws, policies and regulations that govern them. Students will have an opportunity to: (i) examine how telecommunications and media law can be shaped to benefit rather than oppress people; and (ii) consider examples of on-going national and international initiatives promoting use of telecommunications and media to protect human rights and advance the cause of social justice. Professor Gregg

Catholic Social Thought and Human Rights Theory (1 cr.) - This course will explore the development of Catholic social thought on questions of human rights.  Through the reading of primary source material, the course will trace the development of Catholic teaching on human rights doctrine beginning with the School of Salamanca and progressing through the major papal documents that lay out a vision of the nature, source, and scope of human rights and their correlative responsibilities.  It will then explore the contributions of the Catholic perspective to the creation of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and end with a discussion of the ways in which the Holy See intervenes in international conferences on human rights issues and interacts with other international entities, particularly the United Nations.  Grades will be based on a short paper exploring the intervention of the Holy See in a recent United Nations Conference.  Students may select the Conference on which they choose to focus in their paper.   The course paper does not satisfy the Upper Level Writing Requirement.   Professor Silecchia

Human Rights and the Role of the Judge: Interpretation of Human Rights Instruments (1 cr.) - This course primarily is concerned with how judges interpret human rights instruments, and thus determine the meaning and scope of a particular human right. To engage in this question, the course first provides a general overview of the standard tools of interpretation. The emphasis here is on textualism (a theory of interpretation advocated by Justice Scalia) and on approaches based on intent of the enacting body, or on the purpose of the underlying instrument.  hen the course, through a series of case studies, examines particular interpretive questions.  Issues for analysis will be selected from a wide array that may include, for example: civil rights, freedom from torture, the meaning of “human dignity,” “material support” of terrorists, and prohibitions on discrimination.  The course will focus on the human rights instruments of particular importance to the substantive areas covered, for example, the Alien Tort Statute, the U.N. Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the U.S. Constitution, and U.S. Treaties.  The main goals of the course are to improve analytical skills relevant to interpretation both generally and in the substantive context of human rights in particular. The grade for the course is based upon a short paper, to be submitted electronically on or before noon on Saturday, June 15th.  This paper does not satisfy Catholic University’s upper level writing requirement.  Professor Colinvaux
 

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