POSC - 383. Human Rights

3 credit(s)
Nearly every legitimate political authority and virtually every private citizen affirms the virtue of human rights. Since the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “human rights talk” has proliferated; unfortunately, the need for such talk and action has also proliferated. In this course we look at the history and current practices of human rights from multiple perspectives. The main theoretical questions we will address are: Are human rights simply Western, or can they be “translated” into non-Western contexts? How flexible are human rights claims, i.e. to address poverty or gendered violence? Is there a human right to security? Who counts as human entitled to human rights protections? What is the connection between human rights, democracy and freedom? To address these questions we will read key thinkers in these debates.

Prerequisite(s): Juniors or above, or permission of instructor.
Attribute: ARTS, IRE, PCST