The Centre
for Constitutionalism
and Human Rights
The subject Human Rights in the European Constitutional System II is thematically focused on the functioning of the concept of human rights protection in the theory and practice of European constitutionalism. Attention will be primarily given to the current development of European human rights standards in the context of selected current issues related to the protection of individual human rights, especially in relation to so-called vulnerable groups, such as LGBT+ individuals, migrating persons, ethnic minorities, or religious minorities. The aim is to utilize acquired knowledge about the functioning of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the role of various EU bodies, especially the Court of Justice of the European Union, in the protection of human rights in specific contexts.
The teaching format is structured in such a way that the classic lecture serves as a foundation for further student and teacher activities. The goal of the course is to provide a space for professional discussion of current issues related to the protection of human rights in the EU context, based on relevant professional texts and legal acts. The teaching will be conducted in a manner that allows the development of essential legal competencies and skills. The discussions will also be accompanied by the ongoing writing of an essay, which is one of the study assessments. Considering the above, the course is primarily intended for those interested in the subject matter who are capable and willing to actively participate in the teaching.
The subject is taught in both Czech and English, and students are required to have a basic knowledge of constitutional law, European law, and political science. The taught topic is designed as a two-semester course, meaning that the teaching in the Human Rights in the European Constitutional System II. subject builds on the knowledge gained in the Human Rights in the European Constitutional System I. course. Although completing the first (winter) semester is not set as a prerequisite, it is recommended.
Syllabus of the Course Human Rights in European Constitutional Order II. - Jean Monnet Module 2024/2025 (Summer Semester)
18. 3. 2024 – 12:00: Helena Hofmannová (PF UK) – room No. 38 – Intersectionality and Multiple Discrimination in EU Law and Strasbourg Case-law
26. 3. 2024 – 10:00: Karel Řepa (PF UK) – room No. 38 – Equality in Relation to LGBT+ Persons in EU Law and Strasbourg Case-law
8. 4. 2024 – 12:00: Darinka Piqani (Leiden Uni) – room No. 412 – Understanding the Concept of National Identity in the EU Law in the Context of Protection of Minority Languages I.
9. 4. 2024 – 10:00: Darinka Piqani (Leiden Uni) – room No. 38 – Understanding the Concept of National Identity in the EU Law in the Context of Protection of Minority Languages II.
15. 4. 2024 – 12:00: Moritz Jesse (Leiden Uni) – room No. 412 – Non-Discrimination and Equal Treatment as Principles of EU Law
16. 4. 2024– 10:00: Moritz Jesse (Leiden Uni) – room No. 412 – How to Discriminate against a Migrant? Legal Questions of Equality and Differential Treatment
23. 4. 2024 – 12:00: Saša Gajin (Union University in Belgrade) – room No. 38 – Single Origin of Equal Liberty: Understanding Human Rights and Prohibition Of Discrimination from Philosophical And Legal Perspectives I.
24. 4. 2024 – 10:00: Saša Gajin (Union University in Belgrade) – room No. 117 – Single Origin of Equal Liberty: Understanding Human Rights and Prohibition Of Discrimination from Philosophical And Legal Perspectives II.
29. 4. 2024 – 12:00: Christopher McCrudden (Michigan Uni) – room No. 38 – Human Dignity in Theory, in Practice, and in Law I.
30. 4. 2024 – 10:00: Christopher McCrudden (Michigan Uni) – room No. 38 – Human Dignity in Theory, in Practice, and in Law II.
6. 5. 2024 – 10:00: JUDr. Jan Grinc, Ph.D. (Kancelář Senátu Parlamentu ČR, PF UK) - room No. 38 - EU Migration Pact from a legal and policy perspective (in Czech only)
7. 5. 2024 – 10:00: JUDr. Martin Rozumek (ředitel Organizace pro pomoc uprchlíkům) – room No. 38 - EU Migration Pact from the perspective of application practice (in Czech only)
Human Rights in European Constitutional Order I – Jean Monnet Module
The Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights has succeeded in the European Jean Monnet competition in the field of higher education by winning the Jean Monet Module project. This is the first time in history that a European Union project has come to the Faculty of Law of the Charles University to support teaching and research in the field of European Studies. The success is all the greater because the module is not only awarded within the EU Member States, but in a truly pan-European competition.
The Centre has achieved success with the project 'Human Rights in the European Constitutional System' (HRECO), the core of which is the creation and teaching of a compulsory elective course of the same name, which will be taught in both the summer and winter semesters for a minimum of three years. Within the course and a number of related activities, UK students will have the opportunity to learn in detail about the theory and practice of human rights protection in the EU, linked, of course, primarily to the application of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, an area that has not been taught comprehensively at the Faculty of Law so far.
The course Human Rights in the European Constitutional System I (winter semester) will focus on more general theoretical and systematic issues related to the functioning of human rights protection within the EU. The emphasis will be on the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, its origin, content, application and relationship to the ECHR, as well as the role of individual EU institutions, in particular the European Court of Human Rights. The course will also focus on the role of the EU Charter, and the role of the EU Court of Justice in the protection of human rights. It will also focus on the interaction between the development of EU human rights standards and their application by Member States. The knowledge and skills acquired in the winter semester will then be applied in the course Human Rights in the European Constitutional System II (summer semester). Here, attention will be paid to current selected issues of the protection of specific rights, especially in relation to so-called vulnerable groups such as LGBT+ persons, migrants, or members of ethnic or religious minorities.
The guarantor of the course will be Prof. Helena Hofmannová, who will organize and teach the course together with Mgr. Karel Repa. A number of internationally renowned legal scholars such as Prof. Christopher McCrudden, Prof. Moritz Jesse, Prof. Darinka Piqani and Prof. Sasha Gajin will also be involved in the teaching.
Students not only get the opportunity to learn a lot of new knowledge, but also the opportunity to actively develop their skills.
In both courses, students will write an essay as a form of wrapping up the course.The best essays will then be selected for publication in an official electronic anthology.Students will also be able to present the results of their research at a final public workshop on current issues of human rights protection in the EU.
The Centre hopes that students of Charles University will not miss the opportunity to take part in this unique project. It is planned to be implemented as early as the next academic year (2023/2024); i.e. the course Human Rights in the European Constitutional System I will be available for enrolment already for the following winter semester. We are currently preparing our own website for the project and will inform you about further updates soon.