COURSE PLAN

SUBJECT: Science, Technology & Human Rights

CLASS: 5th Sem. (Elective); CODE: BAL5E2
DATE OF COMMENCEMENT: 01st JUNE, 2015
COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Human Rights Education is acquiring greater importance in the changing national and global scenario in the wake of globalization. It
leads to opening up new possibilities for realization of creative human potential. Today, there are about one hundred documents in the
form of Declarations, Conventions, Covenants and Treaties on human rights. The people all over the world should be enabled to
appreciate the development in science and technology vis-e-vis the human rights concerns. The growing technological changes are
impacting the human rights jurisprudence in terms of different challenges, e.g. the issues such as the regulation of cyberspace: right to
freedom of expression and information vis-e-vis right to privacy; Right to access of medicines of the masses vis-e-vis Right to Patent
medical innovations, et. al. Therefore, the purpose of having this course at the undergraduate level is to sensitize the future generation
of lawyers and judges towards the emerging human rights-based issues due to innovations in science and technology.

Date Hrs. Units Heading Details Teaching Compulsory Reading Reference Reading
Method /
Evaluation
Method

01/06- 10 UNIT: 1 SCIENCE, Concept of Science & Lecture/ PPT/ Robin Feldman, The Role of Guide to Emerging Law and
hrs. TECHNOLOGY Technology as a Tool Students Science in Law (2000) Science (Google Book)
13/06 AND HUMAN for Furtherance of Presentations
RIGHTS: Human and Social Ida Medieha Abdul Ghani Azmi, http://www.usask.ca/education/pr
CONCEPTUAL Welfare. (Ed.) Biotechnology Law & ofiles/aikenhead/webpage/vosts.p
PERSPECTIVES Ethical Issues and Policy: Searching for a df
Human Rights:

Page 1 of 11
Reproductive Health, Balance(2011) http://www.spusa.org/pubs/mindf
Abortion Rights, ull/mftechhr.pdf
Adoption of Children by Emily Jackson, Medical Law
Altruistic Reproductive Oxford University Press Ch.8 http://www.wipo.int/edocs/mdocs/
Techniques tk/en/wipo_unhchr_ip_pnl_98/wi
Andrew Grubb, Principles of po_unhchr_ip_pnl_98_5.pdf
How technology helps Medical Law, Oxford University
protect better human Press Ch.14-17 http://www.eolss.net/sample-
rights: Role of Internet, chapters/c15/e1-30-01-06.pdf
Social Media and Right
http://www.aaas.org/sites/default/f
to Political Resistance
iles/reports/Scientific_Freedom_H
against tyrannical
structures (e.g., Egypt, uman_Rights.pdf
Thailand, Delhi). http://www.un.org/en/developmen
t/desa/policy/untaskteam_undf/thi
nkpieces/28_thinkpiece_science.p
df

Vijay Bedekar, Science,

Technology and Human
Development
Contributions of Science and
Technology Progress

Hugh Lacey, Science, Respect for

Nature, and Human Welfare
UN Guidelines on Reproductive
Health

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 Dorothy Shaw & Reecca Cook,
Applying human rights to
improve access to reproductive
health services

15/06 12 UNIT: 2 INFORMATION Revolution in Lecture/ PPT/ M. Hidayatulla, Thoughts of

hrs. TECHNOLOGY Information Students Obscenity, South Illinois
- AND HUMAN Technology, Presentations University Law Journal 1977
RIGHTS
30/06 Right to Information, Farzad Damania, The Internet:
Equaliser f Freedom of Speaach
Reasonable 12 Ind. Int'l & Comp. L. Rev. 243
Restrictions: A study of 2001-2002
the applicable Legal
Norms: Sanaya Dadachanji, Censorship
 Article19 of the and Eyewash in India
Indian
Speech by Dr Agnes Callamard,
Constitution,
Human Rights and Information
 Information
and Communication Technology
Technology Act,
2000,
NUJS L. Rev. 323 2011
 Cinematograph
Act, 1952,
 Official Secrets David Seldran. The Philippines:
Act, 1926, SMS and Citizenship
 Other Indian
Laws Relating Workshop Summary, New
to Media, Technologies and Human Rights
Information Monitoring, August 6-7, 2012
Technology and
Broadcasting.

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01/07- 12 UNIT: 3 SCIENCE, Science & Technology Lecture/ PPT/ Sriram Khanna (et al)(Ed.)Food Timo Minssen &David Nilsson,
TECHNOLOGY to Improve and Students Standards and Safety in a The Industrial Application
hrs. AND RIGHT
15/07 Diversify Food Presentations Globalised World (2003) Requirement for Biotech
TO FOOD
Production and Storage, Inventions in the Light of …[2012]
and for Food Security, Hester and Harrison(Ed.)Food E.I.P.R. 689
Fertilizers, Safety and Food Quality Issues in
Biotechnology to Environmental Science and [2010] EIPR 543
Produce Improved Technology
Varieties of Foods; Anderson, Dan. “Biotechnology
Impact of Bio- Risk Management: The Case
Technology in of Genetically Modified
Agriculture (Positive Organisms (GMOs)” CPCU
and Negative): Journal 54 no4 215-30
Agriculture as a Winter 2001 (from electronic
Commercial Industry, journal collection)

Bianchi, Stefani 2004 “Anti-GM

Movement Spreads Across
Europe”
http://www.commondreams.o
rg/headlines04/0422-05.htm

Zuriek, Elia. “Who Knows about

Whom? Towards a
Generalized Surveillance.”
Queen’s University.
<http://qsilver.queensu.ca/soc
iology/Surveillance/philosoph
y%20symposium.pdf>.

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16/07- 12 UNIT: 4 RIGHT TO Development and Lecture/ PPT/ UN, Right to Development at a
hrs. DEVELOPMENT Human Rights: Issues Students Glance
31/07 and Challenges, Presentations
Arjun Sen Gupta, Right to
Framework on Development as a Human Right,
International Human EPW (2001)p. 2527
Rights Law relating to
Human Development, Development is a Human Right for
Cooperation in a All,
Globalized World: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/
Development/Pages/Backgroundrt
Changing notions
d.aspx
relating to corporate
responsibility, State
responsibility and Third World Approach, Human
Collective Rights Approach to Development
responsibility of Nation
states towards global
Julian Agyeman, Introduction to
cooperation.
Sustainable Communities and
the Challenge of
Environmental Justice, NYU
Press,
http://www.nyupress.org/web
chapters/0814707106intro.pdf

Environmental Justice Resource

Center, “Chemical Assault on
an African American
Community”
http://www.ejrc.cau.edu/cassa
ndraroberts.html

Page 5 of 11
01/08- 8 hrs. UNIT: 5 INTELLECTUAL Intellectual Property Lecture/ PPT/ Rosemary J. Coombey, IP, HR and
PROPERTY Rights and the Right to Students Soveriegnity, Indiana Journal of
12/08 RIGHTS AND access of Medicines, Presentations Global Legal Issues
HUMAN RIGHTS Duncan Matthews, IP HR and
Human Rights as a Right to Halth, Research Paper,
constraint on Queen Mary University of London
Intellectual Property
Rights, Peter K Yu, Recaonceptualising IP
Interests in HR Framework,
Plant Variety Protection Working Paper, Michigan State
Rights, Genetic
University
Resources and
Traditional Knowledge
David Weissbrodt and Kell Schoff,
HR Approach to IP Protection, 5
MINN. INTELL. PROP. REV. 1
(2003)

Nicole M Thomas, An Education:

The Three –Step Test for
Development [2012] E.I.P.R.244

Intellectual Property and the File

Sharing Controversy

Naraine, Ryan. ”RIAA sues

College File-Swappers.”
Internetnews.com at
http://www.unc.edu/~cigar/pa
pers/FileSharing_March2004.
pdf

Page 6 of 11
 Recording Industry Association of
America. “More Copyright
Infringement Lawsuits
Brought Against Illegal File
Sharers” at May 24, 2004, at
<http://www.riaa.com/news/n
ewsletter/052404.asp>.

Nanotechnology

Center for Responsible

Nanotechnology. “Benefits
of Molecular Manufacturing.”
<http://www.crnano.org/benef
its.htm>.

Etcgroup “Nano’s Troubled

Waters.”
<http://www.etcgroup.org/doc
uments/GT_TroubledWater_
April1.pdf>.

13/08- 8 hrs. UNIT: 6 HEALTH AND Science & Technology Lecture/ PPT/ Part III, Human Subjrct ResearchJenny Wakely, The Impact of
31/08 HUMAN and Improvement of Students and Experimental Health Care, External Factors on the
Individual and Presentations Access to Health Care, Public Effectiveness of Compulsory
RIGHTS
Community Health and Health, Licensing Access to Medicines in
Hygiene, Experiments Developing Countries [2011]
on Living Beings, Dolgin Shephedrd, Bioethics and E.I.P.R 756
Law Aspen Publications(2005)

Page 7 of 11
Community Health as a Jenny Wakely, Compulsory
Public Service Industry: Bishnu Prasad Dwivedi et al., Licensing under TRIPS: An
Shift in the role of the Public Health Law, University of Effective Tool to Increase Access
government, North Bengal to Medicines in Developing and
Changing Character of Least Deveopled Countries?
the Industry and the Derek Mogan, Issues in Medical [2011] E.I.P.R 299
Role of Multinationals. Law and Ethics Cavenidish
Publishing (2005) Deneen, Sally. “Designer
People.”E: the Environmental
Magazine 12 no1 26-33 Ja/F
2001 (from electronic
journals)

Buelow, Nancy. “Genetic

Discrimination: The Alpha-1
Case.” The Ramazzini
Institute for Occupational and
Environmental Health
Research at
http://www.ramazziniusa.org/
geneticdiscrim.htm

Council for Responsible

Genetics. “Genetic
Discrimination: A Position
Paper,” at
http://www.gene-
watch.org/programs/privac
y/genetic-disc-
position.html

Tamar Nordenberg, “Cell Phones

and Cancer: No Clear

Page 8 of 11
 Connection”
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/featu
res/2000/600_phone.html

Jonathan Campbell, “Do Cellular

Phones Cause Cancer?”
http://www.cqs.com/cell.htm

“Swedish Study Finds Cell

Phone-Brain Tumor Link”
http://www.consumeraffairs.c
om/news04/2005/cell_tumors
_sweden.html

“Cell Phones, Sperm Cells Don’t

Mix”
http://www.consumeraffairs.c
om/news04/2005/cell_motilit
y.html

TABLE OF CASES

MODULE LIST OF CASES MODULE LIST OF CASES

1 2

3 4

5 6

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Scheme of TEACHING:

No. of Hand-Outs: 20 No. of documentaries to be 10

screened:

No. of Case Studies: 10 Suggestion for Guest Lectures: 6

No. of student Presentations: 12 No. of writing exercises: 0

No. of Lectures/presentations: 62 No. of reading exercises: 20

Any Links:

Schedule of ASSESSMENT:

Assessment Submission/Exam Date

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 CIA1 20th June

CIA2 (MID SEM) 20th July

CIA3 20th August

END SEM

QB 30th August

LIST OF TOPICS FOR CIA- 3 TO BE INCLUSIVE OF CONTEMPORARY TOPICS:

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