Spring 2008 course outline

Schedule Thursday nights, 7:10-9:00pm

An overview of human rights issues: In this class we will discuss the basis of human rights, what rights are, who the key players are, what the current challenges in the field are and what NGOs are doing. This class will require participants to be active in discussion and to complete weekly reading assignments. Each week we will review a particular human rights issue, two case studies and the work NGOs are doing in the field. Homework will include both online and print reading materials.

Course outline

Feb 7 Introduction to the class, human right and key issues
- Discussion and presentation on the background and history of human rights:

Feb 14 Continuing: History of human rights, post WWII issues
the development of The Universal Declaration and ICCPR
Case study: freedoms of speech, assembly and association in Hong Kong, SAR

Feb 21 Civil and political rights II:
developments since WWII, changing definitions
- Case study: protection from torture, cruel and inhumane treatment

Feb 28 Economic, social and cultural rights I: development of broader issues
– Case study: the right to education

Mar 6 Economic, social and cultural rights II: standards for rights
The implications in an era of globalization
Case study: right to adequate standard of living

Mar 13 possible guest speaker
Key issues I: Group rights and Individual rights
- The change in focus, what’s the difference, who this affects
- Case study: indigenous peoples rights

Mar 27 Key issues II: Universal relevance vs. Cultural relativism
- Why universality matters, the culturally relevant issues, the space for culture in Human rights
Case study: issues in greater China, the Tiananmen Massacre and beyond

April 3 New transnational actors I: Human rights NGOs
- The new focus on NGOs, status in the UN and multinational organizations, UN review mechanisms
- Case studies related to the CEDAW

April 10 New transnational actors II: beyond state responsibilities, TNCs/MNCs
- The new need for social auditing and who’s doing this
- Case study: factories in Mexico and Viet Nam
Human rights and foreign policy: Governments using human rights against each other
– Case study: recent issues in trans-national relations with Burma

April 17 Class presentations on own human right issues of interest