Utrecht University will launch on November 14 a new MOOC titled "Human Rights for Open Societies – An Introduction to the European Convention on Human Rights."

This Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) will be offered on Coursera. Antoine Buyse, professor of Human Rights, and Janneke Gerards, professor of Fundamental Rights Law, together with the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM) and connected to the strategic research theme Institutions for Open Societies of Utrecht University, will offer participants an introduction to one of the world’s most intricate human rights systems: the European Convention on Human Rights.

This human rights treaty is one of the most successful tools for protecting human dignity, and it is a crucial tool to achieving an open society.

About the course

Human rights are under pressure in many places across the globe. Peaceful protests are violently quashed. Voting is tampered with. And minorities are often 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 is often an uphill battle to work towards that ideal.

Equip yourself by learning more about what human rights are and how they work. In this course, we will introduce you to one of the world’s most intricate human rights systems: the European Convention on Human Rights. You will see when and how people can turn to the European Court of Human Rights to complain about human rights violations. You will learn how the Court tries to solve many of the difficult human rights dilemmas of today.

We will look, among other things, at the freedom of expression and demonstration, the right to vote, and the prohibition of discrimination. And we will address the rights of migrants, refugees, and other vulnerable groups. And, of course, we will see whether it is possible to restrict rights and if so under what conditions. You will even encounter watchdogs and ice cream in this course. We invite you to follow us on a journey of discovery into the European Convention!

Is it for you?

Yes! 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 November 14 2016.

Enroll here on Coursera! Enrollment is free – participants only pay a fee if they want to obtain a certificate at the end of the course.