International Human Rights Policy

Catalog description

This course examines the politics of human rights violations and the policy interventions designed to address them. The first part asks what we know about the causes and consequences of human rights abuse: Why do violations occur? How are they measured and documented? How have human rights practices changed over time? What are the effects of violations on victims and society? The second part examines policy interventions used to address human rights violations, including efforts by international treaty bodies and transitional justice mechanisms. The course considers cases drawn from a diversity of rights--including civil and political rights, social rights, and the rights of migrants and refugees--as well as actors ranging from governments and international organizations to businesses and civil society organizations. The course aims to prepare students to develop evidence-based, theoretically sound policy interventions aimed at addressing the persistent abuse of human rights in the world today. (MPA-INTPMN, MPA-PUBNON, MPA-SOCPOL)