Human Rights and Citizenship

URL study guide

https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2024-2025/R_HumRC

Course Objective

After successfully completing this course you will be able to:Understand how the concept of citizenship operates in national and international legal systems;Gain an insight into the role of citizenship policies in the formation of statehood in (post-)colonial and state succession contexts;Understand international and regional legal norms on statelessness and multiple nationalities;Understand the hierarchical function and racialized instability of citizenship and rights in colonial and postcolonial contexts;Apply the knowledge of core concepts and theories acquired in this course to analyse your chosen citizenship regime;Gain a comparative perspective on how various states across the globe regulate acquisition and loss of their citizenships;Critically evaluate the relationship between the status of citizenship and the concept of human rights;Critically engage with the concept of ‘integration’ and analyse the assimilationist shift of mandatory integration measures. The course contributes to achieving the following end objectives of the Bachelor degree: 2&3
- Interconnectedness between different legal orders: national, European, international; 4
- understanding of legal terminology in English; 5
- understanding that the law develops and manifests itself in social contexts; 7
- reading, understanding and analysing legal sources; 9
- critical reflection on laws from historical and philosophical perspectives; 10
- reflection on one's own position in society where the relevant laws function; 16
- conducting research into a legal problem and writing down the findings; 21
- finding legal sources. The course also contributes to the objectives of the Law in Action by asking students to apply the theoretical knowledge acquired to a concrete citizenship context of their choosing, reflecting on the political, societal, historical and anthropological relevance of the legal category of citizenship worldwide.

Course Content

Citizenship is an important concept for national and international legal systems, but also a core notion in political science, sociology, and anthropology, as well as a salient political issue in many states. This course offers a cross-disciplinary insight into the seemingly omnipresent yet poorly defined phenomenon of citizenship. Together we will attempt to understand core legal terminology surrounding citizenship, and engage with national and international laws that regulate how citizenship ought to be acquired and lost by individuals. We will look at how states assert their statehood and sovereignty through the law and politics of citizenship in different contexts of state formation, including state succession and (post-)colonialism. Finally, we will study the nexus between citizenship, migration and human rights through a critical look at integration policies, as well as the hierarchical function and racialised instabilities of citizenship. We approach the topic with awareness of how we are situated within it, and reflect on how our own relation with our (lack of) citizenship(s) shape our perspectives on the topic. At the start of the course each student chooses any citizenship regime they want to explore, and applies the knowledge acquired in the course to analyse their chosen regime. In class we exchange findings about different citizenship regimes and gain a comparative perspective from each other. At the end of the course each student puts together a Portfolio based on the work they have done during the course, which forms the basis for the assessment.

Teaching Methods

Weekly lectures, obligatory weekly assignments.

Method of Assessment

The course is graded on the basis of a written Portfolio. Submission of compulsory weekly assignments is required for passing the course. The format for the re-examination is determined based on the number of students needing re-examination. It may take the form of an oral re-examination, or a written assignment equivalent to the Portfolio.

Literature

Will be announced on Canvas.

Target Audience

Apart from law students of the VU, the course is also available for:Students from other universities/facultiesExchange studentsContractor (students who pay for one course)

Entry Requirements

Successful completion of university-level courses at 2nd year Bachelor level, and ability to engage with interdisciplinary academic literature, is essential. Legal skills, such as ability to read and understand national and international legal documents and judgments, is desirable. Background in either law, anthropology, sociology or political science is desirable.