The purpose of the course Advancing Women’s Rights in a Changing World is to expose students to the legal, social, political, economic issues that influence unequal women’s position in the society and to provide a comprehensive understanding of the underlying legal and social structures and power relations that define women’s (in)ability to enjoy their human rights. The course is designed with three key characteristics to ensure a rigorous and impactful learning experience for PhD, master’s and other students. First, by primarily targeting advanced students, the course fosters deep engagement with complex theoretical and empirical debates surrounding gender equality, human rights law, and structural inequalities. Graduate students bring critical analytical skills, enabling nuanced discussions on how international legal frameworks provided by the CEDAW and Istanbul conventions interact with national socio-political realities to perpetuate or address discrimination of women. Second, the course ensures that students engage with cutting-edge scholarship and emerging trends in women’s rights. By analyzing the mandate, successes, and shortcomings of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), and international instrument on women’s rights and recent case law, general recommendations, and reports from international bodies (e.g., Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), UN Special rapporteur on Violence against Women, WGDAWG, Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO)), students assess gaps and challenges in their implementation, intersectional challenges, and evolving interpretations of women’s rights as human rights —preparing them to contribute meaningfully to academic and policy discourse. Lastly, the course prioritizes exploring and developing research projects*, encouraging students to formulate original projects and inquiries. Whether examining barriers to political participation, reproductive justice, gender-based violence against women or neoliberal economic policies on women’s labor rights, students refine their research skills through interdisciplinary methodologies. Such an approach not only advances scholarship but also equips future researchers, advocates, and policymakers to address systemic inequities and use international instruments and mechanisms to challenge them. Together, these goals ensure the course bridges theory, practice, and innovation in women’s human rights.
- Teacher: Antonija Petričušić