Course Details

1. Describe the legal instruments and known international, regional and local institutions which tend to ensure the way in which human rights are established and made familiar.
2. Present aspects in the role that the media industry plays in relation to a variety of human rights, focusing in particular on the freedom of expression.
3. Present the human rights over the years (beginning from the great declarations of the 18th century and ending with current legal instruments of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the OSCE and the European Union) up to the current situation locally.
4. Analyse the local effect of the international and regional organisations who deal with human rights and their related organs.
5. Examine the most basic human rights and how the media industry’s agenda should deal with them.
6. Evaluate the international and national landscape in the field of the human rights both as a source of information and possible professional alternatives to those of the journalist.

Introductory review of the historical development of the human rights’ contemporary forming.

Analytical presentation of major human rights and basic freedoms.

Particular analysis of the right to freedom of expression as a fundamental basis for a free press and in relation to the particular rights of the workers in the media industry.

Introduction of the four major international/regional organisations and their related instruments and organs which deal with the defence of the human rights. United Nations Organisation, Council of Europe, OSCE and European Union.

Analytical introduction to the new contemporary institution which have been established on a national level for the sake of the protection of the human rights in local level.

• Εγχειρίδιο (Reader AJER 460) Μέσα Μαζικής Ενημέρωσης και Ανθρώπινα Δικαιώματα, Δρα Κ. Κούρου προσαρμοσμένο στις ανάγκες του σχετικού μαθήματος, 2005 (updated 2011).

• Δρ Κυριακός Π. Κούρος, Το Δίκαιο των Μέσων Μαζικής Ενημέρωσης στη Δημοκρατία της Κύπρου – Σκιαγράφηση της εξελικτικής διαμόρφωσης του νομικού πλαισίου του τύπου από τον 18ο αιώνα μέχρι σήμερα, Λευκωσία 2008
• Micheline R. Ishay, The History of Human Rights, University of California Press, California/England, 2004
• Journalism, media and the challenge of human rights reporting, International Council on Human Rights Policy, 2002
• Βασίλειος Κ. Βουϊδάσκης, Το Δικαίωμα της Ελευθερίας της Έκφρασης και τα ΜΜΕ- ιστορικοκοινωνιολογική προσέγγιση, Εκδόσεις Παπαζήση, Αθήνα 2001
• Δρ Κυριακός Κούρος, Εισαγωγή στο Συνταγματικό Δίκαιο της Κυπριακής Δημοκρατίας (reader APOL 150).
• Κείμενα διεθνών και περιφερειακών οργανισμών (UN, OSCE, CoE, EU), συναφών με το θέμα, καθώς και οι νόμοι περί των εντύπων και οπτικοακουστικών ΜΜΕ στη Δημοκρατία της Κύπρου

This course is delivered to the students by means of lectures, supplemented with film presentations and panel discussions in order for the students to familiarize with a critical approach towards the relationship between the media industry and the dealing of human rights violations mostly.