International Human Rights

Catalog description

This course offers an introduction to the theory and practice of international human rights law. Through course readings and rigorous discussion, students will learn about international and domestic laws and institutions responsible for the creation and operation of the human rights regime. The course will examine sources of international human rights laws including treaties, customary international law, and domestic law. The course will evaluate international mechanisms involved in human rights protection including the United Nations, regional mechanisms (such as the Inter-American, European and African systems) and various national courts and hybrid tribunals tasked with enforcing international human rights law. In addition to legal theory, the course will help students understand the practice of human rights law with an eye toward understanding the place of the United States in the support of and adherence to human rights norms.