Human Rights in Europe [Seminar – Jean Monnet European Course]

This seminar is an interdisciplinary extension of a legal, political and sociological approach, cultivated within the framework of the Jean Monnet European Chair «Europe and Peace-EUPax». It will provide the opportunity to examine specific issues in greater depth, focusing on fundamental rights through the basic legal texts (European Convention on Human Rights and European Charter of Fundamental Rights) but also through the case law of the European courts in Strasbourg and Luxembourg. Consequently, the seminar aims to provide in-depth, interdisciplinary training in European human rights law, allowing students to deepen their knowledge and to be able to work in an international and European environment. It will thus constitute an important element in the training of students in the field of human rights, the study of which can be continued at Master's level (EKEO). The first lectures will focus on horizontal topics: sources of fundamental rights, monitoring of respect for fundamental rights and will be mainly theoretical in nature. The following lectures will deal with a series of selected topics related to current events, namely conditions of detention in prisons, limits of freedom of expression and religion in the face of terrorism, the issue of the right to gender identity, the death penalty, the right to life, etc. These topics will be approached from both a theoretical (general presentation of the topic) and a practical (discussions and reflections based on real, specific events) point of view. The seminar will adopt an approach to the need for targeted legal and sociological expertise among those involved in the field of European human rights law, a complex field characterized by normative pluralism, in which both our postgraduate programs (Greek Societies & European Integration, Management of Refugee & Migratory Flows in Europe) study. Its thematic modules are designed for both professional and research purposes, with the teaching based on innovative teaching methods aimed at encouraging students to acquire and deepen their knowledge and apply it in practice through practical projects. Students will participate in the organization of a conference, for which they prepare the scientific program. They will also participate in the René Cassin European Human Rights Law Moot Court Competition.