ASSESSMENT BRIEF AND MARKING RUBRIC Module title: International Human Rights La

ASSESSMENT BRIEF AND MARKING RUBRIC
Module title: International Human Rights Law
Assessment task: Critical Essay
Word count limit: 5000 words +/- 10% (excluding references and appendices) Width: 100% of overall module grade
General guidance: Your assignments should be word processed (handwritten assignments are not accepted), using time new roman size 12 font, double spaced, with numbered pages and your student number printed as a footer on every page. The word limits stated for these assignments excludes the reference list at the end of the assignments but includes all text in the main body of the assignment (including direct quotations, in-text citations, footnotes, tables, diagrams and graphs). Please be aware that exceeding the word count limit will affect the academic judgement of the piece of work and may result in the award of lower marks. Appendices are not considered a supplement, and thus, will not be assessed as part of the
content of the assignments. As such, they will not contribute to the grades awarded; however 1
it may be appropriate to use an Appendices section for the Essay, which is a useful reference for the reader. Please note that appendices are not included in the word count.
The majority of references should come from primary sources (e.g., journal articles, conference papers, reports, etc.) although you can also utilise area specific textbooks.
In the Essay, you must ensure that you use the OSCOLA style of referencing. Please indicate the word count length at the end of your assignments.
Marking and assessment: Your summative assessment consist of one related element: an Essay (5,000 word-equivalent), The element will be graded out of 100 and in the overall passing grade is 50%.
sources.
3. Critically analyse the key contemporary debates within international human rights law.
Assessment guidelines
Produce a 5000-word critical essay exploring a relevant human rights issue (+/- 10%) (Excluding the list of references) which offers students the ability to demonstrate their developing knowledge and application of the international human rights law as covered within weeks of their study. It also encourages students to develop their thoughts and perspectives on International human rights law theories and concepts.
Task
A critical essay exploring relevant human rights issues of no more than 5000 words. for
titles below:
1. “Laws alone cannot secure freedom of expression; in order that every man presents his views without penalty there must be spirit of tolerance in the entire population.” (Albert Einstein) Critically discuss.
The structure of a critical essay
The main features of a critical essay are described below to provide a general guide. These should be used in conjunction with the instructions or guidelines provided by your module tutor.
Title Page
This should briefly but explicitly describe the purpose of the report (if this is not obvious from the title of the work); remember to add your name and student number/assessment number, and whichassessmentitpertainsto.
Contents (Table of Contents)
The contents page should list the different chapters and/or headings together with the page numbers. Your contents page should be presented in such a way that the reader can quickly scan the list of headings and locate a particular part of the report. You may want to number chapter headings and subheadings in addition to providing page references. Whatever numbering system you use, be sure that it is clear and consistent throughout.
3
Introduction
The introduction gives an overview of the research project you propose to carry out. It explains the background of the project, focusing briefly on the major issues of its knowledge domain and clarifying why these issues are worthy of attention. It then proceeds with the concise presentation of the research statement, which can take the form of a hypothesis, a research question, a project statement, or a goal statement. The research statement should capture both the essence of the project and its delimiting boundaries, and should be followed by a clarification of the extent to which you expect its outcomes to represent an advance in the knowledge domain you have described. The introduction should endeavour, from the very beginning, to catch the reader’s interest and should be written in a style that can be understood easily by any reader with a general science background. It should cite all relevant references pertaining to the major issues described, and it should close with a brief description of each one of the chapters that follow. Many authors prefer to postpone writing the Introduction until the rest of the document is finished. This makes a lot of sense, since the act of writing tends to introduces many changes in the plans initially sketched by the writer, so that it is only by the time the whole document is finished that the writer gets a clear view of how to construct an introduction that is, indeed, compelling.
Literature Review
The State of the Art, also known as the Literature Review (or Foundations), serves a cluster of very important aims. First of all, it demonstrates that you have built a solid knowledge of the field where the research is taking place, that you are familiar with the main issues at stake, and that you have critically identified and evaluated the key literature. On the other hand, it shows that you have created an innovative and coherent view integrating and synthesizing the main aspects of the field, so that you can now put into perspective the new direction that you propose to explore. The State of the Art must give credit to the authors who laid the groundwork for your research, so that when, in the following chapter, your research objectives
are further clarified, the reader is able to recognize beyond doubt t h a t what you are 10
attempting to do has not been done in the past and that your research will likely make a significant contribution to the literature. It should be accompanied by comprehensive references, which you list at the end of the proposal. Ideally, all influential books, book chapters, papers and other texts produced in the knowledge domain you are exploring, which are of importance for your work, should be mentioned here and listed at the end of the proposal. You should follow very strictly the appropriate referencing conventions and make sure that no document you refer to is missing in the final list of references, nor vice versa. The choice of referencing conventions may depend on the specific field where your research is located.
Discussion
The main body of the essay is where you discuss your material. The literature and evidence you have gathered should be summarised, analysed and discussed with specific reference to the problem or issue. If your discussion section is lengthy you might divide it into section headings. Your points should be grouped and arranged in an order that is logical and easy to follow. Use headings and subheadings to create a clear structure for your material. As with the whole report, all sources used should be acknowledged and correctly referenced (remember to use the most credible resources available).
Conclusion
In the conclusion you should show the overall significance of what has been covered. You may want to remind the reader of the most important points that have been made in the report or highlight what you consider to be the most central issues or findings. However, no new material should be introduced in the conclusion. Remember to specifically answer the initial questions posed.
Appendices
Under this heading you should include all the supporting information you have used that is not published. This might include tables, graphs, or transcripts. Refer to the appendices in the body of your report.
List of References
A key feature of academic writing, the list of references should list – in alphabetical order by author – all published sources referred to in your report. There are different styles of using references so be sure to refer to the study guide and check your departmental handbook for guidelines. You must ensure that you use the OSCOLA style of referencing.
Note the suggested structure for your essay:
Section/aspect Contenttocover Marks available
Introduction
500 words General background on the topic you are going to discuss. Possible definitions for terms relating to the question. What the essay will include and/or leave out (scope). What themes the essay will discuss and the order they are presented.
What the essay will argue / demonstrate(thesisstatement). 10 Marks
Literature Review/ Recommendations/S uggestions
4000 words The following structure can be used for discussion of the themes that you have identified:
• – Solid knowledge of the filed where the research is taking place.
• – Critically identify and evaluate key literature
• – the ability to construct an international legal argument
the ability to offer original insights on the topic 60 Marks
Conclusions
500 words Links back to the themes identified in the introduction.
A reminder of what the essay has argued. A recap of the main themes that have been discussed. 10 Marks
Structure The logical structure of your argument; ability to synthesize views and articulate on your own 10 Marks
Formatting and Referencing
(list of references not includedinword count) High quality presentation of the material that conforms to principles of academic writing and contains minimal errors in sentence construction, grammar andpunctuation.The assignment followed appropriate academic conventionsregardingin-text citations and referencing. 10 Marks
Total: 5000 words 100 Marks
Some of international and regional human instruments:
International Human Rights Treaties-Bill of Rights
1. Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
http://www.un.org/en/udhrbook/pdf/udhr_booklet_en_web.pdf
2. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights:
3. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights:
https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/ProfessionalInterest/cescr.pdf
Main Regional Treaties
1. African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights:
http://www.achpr.org/files/instruments/achpr/banjul_charter.pdf
https://www.oas.org/dil/treaties_b-32_american_convention_on_human_rights.pdf
Vulnerable Groups Women
https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/cedaw.aspx https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/cerd.aspx
https://treaties.un.org/doc/publication/unts/volume%20999/volume-999-i-14668- english.pdf
2. European Convention on Human Rights:
https://www.echr.coe.int/Documents/Convention_ENG.pdf
3. American Convention on Human Rights:
Children
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CRC.aspx
Minorities/Indigenous
https://www.ohchr.org/en/issues/minorities/pages/minoritiesindex.aspx
https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/declaration-on-the-rights-of- indigenous-peoples.html