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Home > Degree Programs > Teaching & Courses > 2012-2013 Course Listing > Human Rights and International Politics
IGA-304: Human Rights and International Politics
Faculty: Mathias Risse
Schedule
| Day | Time | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Day | 9/7 | ||
| Meet Day | M/W | 1:10 PM - 2:30 PM | RG-20 |
| Review |
Description
This course is an introduction to human rights and their role in international politics. The goal is to provide students with basic human rights literacy and to position them to participate in the many policy debates that turn on human rights issues. Addresses such questions as "why do we have human rights? How have such rights come to be acknowledged? Do human rights treaties and rhetoric make a difference or are they simply window dressing? Who has duties and responsibilities to realize human right?" Topics include the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Kosovo intervention, terrorism, torture, counter-terrorism, and the role of NGOs and transnational corporations in the realization of human rights. Readings range from case studies to historical, legal, philosophical, and social-scientific readings. Emphasis is placed on human rights as an ethical and political framework for public policy rather than as a system of international law.