Global Human Rights

Catalog description

This course will introduce you to key themes and debates in the field of international human rights. Starting with a discussion of the political and economic devastation in post-World War 2 Europe, students will examine the theoretical and historical foundations of international human rights law. The course will examine the way that the idea of “human rights” has expanded since the 1948 adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It will also focus on key human rights challenges in today’s world (e.g., digital rights, forced migration, business and human rights, women’s rights, sexual orientation, and gender identity). Using examples from around the world, we will pay particular attention to the complexity of advancing a human rights agenda in a world of power politics and will also look carefully at the interaction of international human rights law with other issues, including international security, development, environmental sustainability, and international humanitarian law.