Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

How can we best protect human rights? How do we define what is a human right and what is not? We examine these questions within countries and at the international level. We will look at the courts-based approach versus systems that give politicians the final say. Students with credit for POL 330 or POL 339 under the title "Protecting Human Rights" may not take this course for further credit. Writing.

COURSE DETAILS:

Course Description:

How can we best protect human rights? How do we define what is a human right and what is not? We will examine these questions at the domestic and international level. First, we will compare how different countries grapple with the trade-offs between the public interest and individual rights. We will look at Indigenous rights, courts-based approaches (e.g., in North and South America) and systems which give politicians the final say (e.g., some European countries and Australasia). We will also assess critiques of the human rights paradigm.

We will then move this debate to the international level. We will examine the impact of treaties, such as the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, and courts such as the International Criminal Court and the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights. During this course you will look at the big picture: is a “human right” a useful concept, and if so, which systems best protect rights? You will examine the content of human rights law, giving you skills in interpreting legal texts and applying legal principles to cases. This is a writing-intensive course, so you will work on your own research project. We will have regular in-class workshops on research design, professional writing and peer review of each other’s drafts.

Course Organization:

Class is 2 hr 50 mins long, including a 15 min break. It will be a mix of lecture on the week’s topic, small group activities and workshops to prepare for the paper and exam.  This class is focused on in-depth discussion and practical activities with each other. This is to help you apply readings to current case studies, to explore controversial issues and to build the writing and research skills expected in an upper division writing-intensive course. Most week’s activities will build on work from the previous week. Attendance is therefore expected at every class unless you are ill or there is an emergency. If you know you will have to miss a class, please contact the instructor before the semester begins, so we can discuss your situation.

 

AI use in this course: limited to support tasks; must be declared.

For POL 330W assignments and exams, you should be doing all the thinking and writing yourself. AI is only permitted in the following circumstances, and must be declared:

1. at the very beginning and end of the process: finding sources (if independently verified), copy-editing and checking references; and
2. producing visuals (e.g., tables and figures) which support and illustrate your work, i.e., they must be based on data and information you found yourself and your own ideas and arguments.

You are responsible for the accuracy of all material that you submit, and for declaring all use fully and transparently. We will discuss exactly what is and is not permitted in class, as well as the arguments for and against using large language models and similar tools.

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING: