International Human Rights

Catalog description

This mini-course surveys the causes of human rights violations around the world and the internal and external forces that combat them. The course begins by asking how political scientists conceptualize and measure human rights; we also review the origins and evolution of the international human rights movement and debates over whether human rights are (or should be) universal. In week 3, we survey the correlates of human rights abuses and review what progress has been made towards global forecast models of genocide, politicide, and mass killing. The core of the class in weeks 4-6 examines domestic and international forces and actors that attempt to promote human rights and assesses the efficacy of international NGOs and IGOs, international law, diplomacy and sanctions, and informal pressures of socialization and emulation The course concludes by reviewing current human rights challenges in the United States and future of human rights globally. By the end of this course, you should come away with an appreciation for the ongoing struggle to achieve the global aspirations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.