Making Sense of Human Rights today

Undergraduate

Respect for human rights – and international law more broadly – is under tremendous pressure today. The news is full of coverage about human rights abuses, war crimes, and violations of international law. What do these terms mean, and what instruments exist to prevent and deal with these issues? What strategies have actors (states, but also civil society) developed to push for greater respect of people’s dignity and freedom? How does all of this hold up to the current moment, and where do we go from here? At this inflexion point for human rights and international law this course aims to explore three things: first, the basic underpinnings of the legal system meant to protect people; second, the strategies that actors have leveraged to wield existing instruments in practice; and third, what options and avenues exist for a way forward. We do not approach human rights or international law in a purely theoretical or abstract manner. Rather, the invitation in this class is to shift your posture from that of an external critic to someone with agency over how this field develops. To this end, students enrolled in the course are required to participate in several sessions with practitioners in this field. SO Th 1:30pm-3:25pm