History of Human Rights

Catalog description

Since the end of WWII, social and political movements around the world have articulated their messages around the concepts of rights. This course is an inquiry about the historical development of the norms, processes and institutions for the international human rights movement. It looks at the process by which international legal rules have been made or elaborated. The course examines the historical confrontation between the human rights concept and the notions of national sovereignty, domestic jurisdictions, and cultural autonomy. It also examines the historical development of the monitoring institutions within the United Nations and the human rights non-governmental organizations. The aim is to show the United Nations' strength and weakness. It finally looks at the dual or contradictory role played by the U.S. government in the development of the international human rights movement. Credit Badge: Immigration Advocacy and Policy.