TOPICS: ADVANCED HUMAN RIGHTS LAW in Fall 2021 (LW5091A)

The existing body of international human rights law requires a balancing of fundamental rights and freedoms, an exercise which, when applied to data science and technology, encourages us to evaluate and prioritize in a more ethical fashion the ways in which we use the machines and data that surround us. This course will introduce key substantive and institutional issues in the field and explore the establishment of these standards, the international human rights treaties, their implementation mechanisms and the expanding body of jurisprudence. It should be noted that human rights serves both a moral and legal purpose, one in which the normative development of individual and collective rights is often contested despite the broad, enabling language of many of the international, regional and domestic legal texts.
This course specifically provides students with the legal tools necessary to assume positions of responsibility in terms of data management and protection. We will study the interaction of key scientific and legal issues that illustrate the challenges citizens and societies face in harnessing the potential of digital technology and the ethical use of data in our societies.