Excellent Human Rights Course Supplement by Professor Weissbrodt, et al.

I normally wouldn’t post on a document supplement to a casebook, but the publication of Selected International Human Rights Instruments and Bibliography for Research on International Human Rights Law, by David Weissbrodt, Fionnuala Ni Aolain, Mary Rumsey, Marci Hoffman and Joan Fitzpatrick (4th Ed. 2009 Lexis/Nexis 2009) is worth a shout out. It is by far the most up-to-date course supplement, including, e.g., the new UN Disabilities Convention and the Migrant Workers Convention. But it also includes important UN institutional directives and rules that typically elude these kinds of compilations, e.g., Security Council Resolution 1325 (mainstreaming gender issues in the Council’s Chapter VII operations) and the procedural rules for the  UN Human Rights Council.  Most important for students is the extensive bibliography for “Research on International Human Rights Law,” which covers research in human rights instruments, case law, books, periodicals, blogs and websites, and a whole host of U.S.-based governmental and NGO materials.

I generally don’t recommend that students spend money on supplements that simply reprint treaties and texts that are available free of charge on the web.  This compilation offers much more than simply selecting and reprinting official materials.  It adds real value in providing research sources and methods, making it a thoughtful and useful supplement and guide. I wholeheartedly recommend it to students and teachers alike.

For students enrolled in a human rights research seminar this semester (attention my students!), the Univ. of Minnesota Law Library has a terrific guide to researching international human rights that can be accessed here. It’s a great place to start thinking about a research project.