Unit name | International Human Rights |
---|---|
Unit code | POLIM3030 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | M/7 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
Unit director | Dr. Alix Dietzel |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
none |
Co-requisites |
none |
School/department | School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit explores the philosophical, historical, normative, legal and political foundations of the contemporary international human rights regime and the main controversies surrounding human rights theory and practice. Key questions that will be addressed in this unit include: what are the foundations of human rights? Are human rights universal or culturally determined? How do we realize human rights in a world of states? What has the impact of conflict, globalisation and the war on terror been on human rights? The first part of the course examines the emergence and development of the human rights movement, explores the debate about the foundations of human rights, including critical approaches to the idea of human rights, and addresses the ongoing controversy over universality, culture and human rights. The second part of this unit focuses on the practice of human rights. First, from a legal perspective, it looks at the main features of the current human rights system at the international and regional levels. Second, it addresses the praxis of human rights from an international relations perspective. The third part of the course looks in-depth at a number of specific issues and how they affect human rights, including humanitarian intervention, transitional and international criminal justice, globalisation and the war on terror.
Aims:
Upon completion of this unit students will:
2 hour seminars over 10 weeks (weeks 11 and 12 are devoted to essay preparation/writing)
During the 2-hour seminars the relevant topic will be introduced by the tutor and students will be engage in intellectual discussion through individual presentations and by addressing the proposed issues for debate through selected exercises such as group work.
Formative assessment: seminar presentations supported by a handout. The seminar presentation supported by a handout provides formative assessment of (1) the student’s grasp of the substantive issues associated with this unit and (2) the student’s ability to engage with that substantive material in an articulate, concise and persuasive way both verbally and in written form.
Summative assessment: an essay at least 3,500 words long and no longer than 4,000 words long. The assessed essay provides summative assessment of (1) the student’s substantive grasp of issues covered by this unit; (2) the student’s ability to engage with those substantive issues in an articulate, persuasive and critical manner in written form; and (3) the student’s ability to engage with the relevant literature and achieve and appropriate degree of depth which is still concise.