After two successful editions and over 8000 participants in total, we have now opened up enrollment for the third edition of the MOOC 'Human Rights for Open Societies - An Introduction to the European Convention on Human Rights'. The starting date is 8 May, but you can already enroll now.
More information: This course was developed by Antoine Buyse, Janneke Gerards and Paulien de Morree, connected to the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM) at Utrecht Law School.
Human rights are under pressure in many places across the globe. Peaceful protests are violently quashed. Voting is tampered with. And often, minorities are excluded from decision-making. All of this threatens the ideal of an open society in which each of us can be free and participate equally. A solid protection of human rights is needed for an open society to exist and to flourish. But it often is an uphill battle to work towards that ideal.
The course will help participants equip themselves and learn more about what human rights are and how they work. They will learn when and how people can turn to the European Court of Human Rights to complain about human rights violations. And they will learn when and how the Court tries to solve many of the difficult human rights dilemmas of today. The course looks at, amongst others, the freedom of expression and demonstration, the right to vote, and the prohibition of discrimination. The rights of migrants, refugees, and other vulnerable groups will also be addressed in this MOOC. Finally, the course will look into the question of whether it is possible to restrict rights and under what conditions.
Is this a course for you?
This course is open to everyone interested in the protection of human rights and the linkages with open and democratic societies.
Interested in participating?
The MOOC ‘Human Rights for Open Societies – An Introduction to the European Convention on Human Rights’ will start on May 8, 2017.
Enroll here on Coursera. Enrollment is for free – participants only pay a fee if they want to obtain a certificate at the end of the course.