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 through lectures, written assignments, discussions, presentations, simulations and documentaries include: nature and development of contemporary international human rights instruments and institutions; contending liberal, statist, realist, relativist and non-western conceptions or critiques of human rights; theoretical frameworks for analyzing the structural causes, conditions and correlates of human rights violations; best practices in human rights investigation, reporting and measurements; politics of international humanitarian intervention; US foreign policy on human rights; new directions in international human rights practice; and profiles of contemporary icons of the international human rights movement, from Nelson Mandela to Malala Yousafzai to Amnesty International.
