Political Science 389 The Politics of Human Rights Summer 2005

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Political Science 389 The Politics of Human
RightsSummer 2005

• Instructor Brian Grodsky
• Contact bgrodsky_at_umich.edu
• Haven Hall 7723
• Office Hours By appointment

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Questions Explored

• What are human rights and how have they evolved
  over time and place?
• What are the duties and obligations of states
  with regard to their own citizens rights?
• How and why do human rights fit into foreign
  policy objectives?
• What is the role of the international community
  in protecting rights across the globe and what
  mechanisms are available to this?
• How do leaders deal with human rights offenders
  after those offenders have been removed from
  power?

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Course Outline

• Philosophical foundations of human rights and
  current issues
• Rights violations as a tool for power
  consolidation
• Legal evolution of human rights universalism
  versus particularism
• Implementation of international human rights law
• Human rights in foreign policy
• Transitional justice

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Course Expectations

• Class Attendance
• Quizzes
• Written Assignment
• Mid-Term and Final

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Human Rights

• Universal Declaration
• International Covenant on Civil and Politic
  Rights
• International Covenant on Economic, Social and
  Cultural Rights

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Other Key Human Rights Treaties

• Genocide Convention
• Convention Against Torture
• Convention on the Rights of the Child
• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
  Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
  Racial Discrimination (CERD)

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Emancipation

• Lincolns stance evolution or political
  opportunity?
• What were the advantages of emancipation?
• What were the potential costs?

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The Case for War Iraq

• Transformed foreign policy
• Selective application of human rights

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Next Class

• Philosophical evolution of human rights
• Current issues in human rights
• Readings