Human Rights: Legal Issues

3 credits · Undergraduate

This course focuses on the legal issues and debates that are implicated in the development and enforcement of domestic and international human rights. It will address the changing legal status of international human rights treaties and conventions, with attention to the work of international treaty bodies, courts, tribunals, and the implications of their decisions and recommendations in domestic contexts. It will look at the impact of the development of international criminal courts and tribunals – with attention to the debates concerning state sovereignty and accountability, and what enables or restricts intervention in human rights crises. A central theme of the course will be theories and approaches to justice, and their relation to the force of law and the challenges of legal systems and obligations. PREREQUISITES: Previous third year course work in Political Science or Law, Justice & Society FORMATS: Seminar