Global Politics & Human Rights

Catalog description

Human rights are often characterized by mainstream international organizations as universal and neutral. Yet, many grassroots activists claim that the majority of people in the world are deliberately kept in debt, prevented from exploring alternative paths to development and locked into unfair trade deals through the political decisions of powerful global actors. The activists thus argue that human rights are not universally enjoyed, but rather, differentially distributed. This course will explore this claim by studying the institutions, policies, and ideas that shape a global politics of debt, trade, and development. Students will get to familiarize themselves with how race, class, and gender impair people’s abilities to enjoy full human rights. By paying close attention to the role of international institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, students will learn to assess the goals and strategies of global actors in how human rights are distributed. Our readings will be drawn from policy documents, critical histories of globalization, investigative journalist accounts, and eye-witness accounts. Offered: fall or spring.