Spring 2019 - IS 309 D100

Special Topics I (4)

Human Rights&Int'l law

Class Number: 7527

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 3 – Apr 8, 2019: Thu, 1:30–5:20 p.m.
    Vancouver

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Specific details of courses to be offered will be published prior to enrolment each term.

COURSE DETAILS:

The adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 was followed by a host of international agreements on genocide and torture, women and minorities, refugees and the conduct of warfare, and the treatment of children. Development, trade and healthcare have likewise become subject to new standards of human-centered conduct, whose significance has grown with economic and cultural globalization. Individual and collective human rights — with their appeal to solidarity and the rule of law, often against claims of cultural relativism — have ceased to be matters solely of domestic jurisdiction.

This course will address a range of themes that involve global (and regional) engagement with the protection and promotion of human dignity through legal rights, including the role of non-state actors such as NGOs and corporations. In particular, we will attend to the gaps between normative regimes and political realities, mindful of the post- 9/11 approaches to "security" and their tension with individual rights. Multimedia resources will supplement the course texts, both in class and on the course website.

Grading

  • Class Presentation & Contribution 30%
  • Analytical Reports 30%
  • Final Paper 40%

NOTES:

Active participation is expected, with attendance in all sessions. Weekly readings will be assigned for class presentation on the basis of groups formed at the outset. Two short reports that analyze assigned readings will be due — as well as a final paper based on topics from the course syllabus.

Students will be required to submit their written assignments to Turnitin.com in order to receive credit for the assignments and for the course.

The School for International Studies strictly enforces the University's policies regarding plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty. Information about these policies can be found at: http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/teaching.html.
 

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Goodhart, Michael, ed. Human Rights: Politics and Practice. 3rd ed. Oxford, 2016 (pbk).
ISBN: 9780198708766

Additional readings will be posted on the Canvas site.

RECOMMENDED READING:

The Human Rights Reader. ed. Micheline Ishay. 2nd ed. Routledge, 2007 (pbk).
ISBN: 9780415951609

Belzberg Reserves
Inventing Human Rights: A History
.
Lynn Hunt. Norton, 2007.

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS