| SES # | TOPICS | KEY DATES |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Course introduction Introduction to human rights as a 'system' or 'regime' and the U.S. BBC, The Why factor, "Why do we have human rights?" | |
| 2 | What are human rights? History, philosophy and character of the rights discourse | |
| 3 | Key conceptual debates: Universality v. cultural relativism, public v. private, relativity of rights, liberal origins, individual v. community rights, civil v. human rights | |
| 4 | Sovereignty and self-determination?: The impact of North-South divisions, the West v. Rest | |
| 5 | Human rights at home: The struggle to enforce human rights in the U.S. | |
| 6 | Security v. human rights: Torture, assassinations and the War on Terror | Guest Speaker: Prof. David Luban, Georgetown University |
| 7 | Economic development, globalization and poverty | |
| 8 | Gender, equality, and sexual minorities | |
| 9 | Ethnic, religious and racial violence and group rights | Final paper topic due two days after Session 9 |
| 10 | Forcible Intervention versus sovereignty | |
| 11 |
Open class for discussion and / or a topic to be chosen by students Conclusion and wrapping up | Final paper due a 1.5 weeks after last session |