POL412H1S L0101
Human Rights and International Relations
Themes
In this course, we will inquire into the origins of human rights, how they have become mobilized for politics, and what this means for international relations. We begin by entering into a vibrant debate about the conceptual, legal and political sources of human rights. We will read and discuss recent influential works alongside classic texts that have shaped the way we think about humanity and human rights. In the second part of the course, we explore how human rights work in the world today. Engaging more closely with the application of international relations theory, we examine how transnational human rights movements evolved, how human rights treaties, courts and prosecutions work, and how military intervention became entangled with the human rights movement. Finally, we will examine how international law is implicated in the contemporary refugee crisis, and consider whether human rights can and should retain their power in a global society.
Texts
Samuel Moyn. The Last Utopia: Human Rights in History, Harvard University Press, 2010; TBA
Format and Requirements
Attendance (10%); Reading Responses and Presentation (30%); Book Review (25%); Critical Essay (35%).
Prerequisites
POL201H1 or POL201Y1 or POL208H1 or POL208Y1 or POL209H5 or POLB80H3 or POLB90H3 or POLB91H3