Religious freedom in Europe

 Subjects:

• Religious freedom in Europe in historical perspective
• Protection of freedom of thought, conscience and religion in the universal system of the protection of human rights
• Article 9 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights as a basic indicator of the European standard of the protection of human rights
• Religious freedom in the constitutions of the European states
• Convictions protected by the regulations pertaining the freedom of thought, conscience and religion (“religion or belief”)
• Freedom to manifest religion or belief in worship and observance
• Freedom to manifest religion or belief in teaching
• Freedom to manifest religion or belief in practice
• General conditions for the acceptability of the limitations on manifestations of religion or belief
• The grounds for restricting manifestations of religion or belief
• The rights of parents to ensure the education and teaching of their children in conformity with their own convictions
• Religious symbols in public schools
• The prohibition on religious discrimination
• Rights of religious communities
• Basic problems pertaining to religious freedom in contemporary Europe – a concluding lecture
• Religious freedom in Europe in historical perspective

 

Recommended or required reading:

 

Required reading

Uitz R., Freedom of Religion, Council of Europe Publishing, 2007.

Evans C. , Freedom of Religion under the European Convention on Human Rights, Oxford University Press, 2003.

Emilianides A. (ed.), Religious Freedom in the European Union: the Application of the European Convention on Human Rights in the European Union, Peeters Publishers, 2011.

Evans M., Manual of the Wearing of Religious Symbols in Public Areas, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2009.

Evans M., Religious Liberty and International Law in Europe, Cambridge University Press, 2008.

Recommended reading

Danchin P. G., Cole E. A. (eds.), Protecting the Human Rights of Religious Minorities in Eastern Europe, Columbia University Press, 2002.

Garlicki L., Perspectives on Freedom of Conscience and Religion in the Jurisprudence of Constitutional Courts, “Brigham Young University Law Review” 2001, issue 2, pp. 467-509.

 

Prerequisites and learning outcomes:

 

Assumption: The course is aimed at introducing students to the issues pertaining to the standards of protection of freedom of thought, conscience and religion in Europe, as defined especially in the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and explained in the judicature of the European Court of Human Rights. Requiring from students (Law, Administration or European Studies) ability to communicate in English. Course is also open to any Erasmus student studying at the University.

 

Objective: The aim of this course is to explain the legal bases and present the significance of the standards of protection of religious freedom (that is, freedom of thought, conscience and religion) adopted in Europe. This aim is going to achieved mainly  through analyzing the current regulations pertaining to this freedom (as included in acts being the basis for the European system of the protection of human rights as well as in the constitutions of individual European states), with a broad emphasis on the judicature of the European Court of Human Rights.