Human rights, sustainable development and the future of work 2200-1W172S

The objective of this course is to introduce students to issues related to the broad area of human
rights and sustainable development in the context of the future of work in general, and labour
law more specifically. These issues are becoming increasingly important due to the dynamic
changes taking place in the labour market and within the employment relationship itself,
primarily related to the development of new technologies, i.e. the 4th and 5th industrial
revolutions, as well as the context of climate change. Although the two are often presented as
transitions existing next to each other, in fact they also often cross paths and seem to be going
hand in hand together. For example, new techniques might be introduced to make a production
process more sustainable from the perspective of climate change. Whereas this is a positive
change, the effects for work, how work is done, what work is left, or what its influence is on
the human (body) performing the work activity is still underexplored.
The aim of this course is therefore to address a number of profound changes in technology in
the context of sustainable development and what that means for work. The latter will be
reviewed from the perspective of labour rights that are also human rights, such as the freedom
of speech, the right to privacy, the right to human dignity, the freedom to choose employment
(as positive definition of the abolition of forced labour and slavery), the right to equal treatment,
etc. While the course takes a broad approach to explore the changes and effects on labour rights,
it will be specific and in-depth on the selected topics that are taken as examples for these
changes and effects. As a result, the course will provide both, a broad and general picture of the
current changes and trends in the world of work, as well as profound knowledge and deep
understanding of the specific issues concerned with the selected topics. More detailed
information about the topics for each class can be found in the table below.
The fact that the course will be taught by several lecturers with different backgrounds,
experience and academic interests will make the classes more enriching, interesting and varied,
as students will have the opportunity to learn about the issues discussed from different
perspectives.
The classes will be predominantly interactive, based on discussions and workshops.