Natural Law and Human Rights

This course traces the intellectual tradition of natural law - the idea that there are moral principles valid for all people, in all times and places - and explores how it has shaped debates about freedom, authority, and the common good. Beginning with classical and Christian sources, students will engage major thinkers from Grotius and Hobbes to Locke and Rousseau, and examine how their ideas informed the democratic revolutions of the eighteenth century. The course concludes by exploring the modern legacy of natural law in contemporary discussions of liberalism, conscience, and human rights.