Human Rights in Global Politics

Course Description

Summary

Human rights are universal in principle, but often they are systematically violated in practice, especially in developing countries of the global south. This introductory course explores the international politics of human rights, with a particular focus on the developing world. Topics to be examined in lectures, written assignments, discussions, presentations, simulations and documentaries include: the nature and development of contemporary international human rights instruments and institutions; contending liberal (western), statist, realist, relativist and non-western conceptions or critiques of human rights; analytical frameworks for understanding structural causes, conditions and correlates of human rights violations; best practices in human rights investigation, reporting and measurements; politics of international humanitarian intervention; US and EU foreign policy on human rights; new directions in international human rights practice; and profiles of contemporary icons of the international human rights movement like Narges Mohammadi, Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, and Amnesty International.