International Politics of Human Rights

This module will introduce students to the idea of what human rights are and different explanations about where rights come from. From there we will briefly examine how human rights have changed and become imbedded in international law since World War II. Next we will ask why governments repress the rights of their citizens. In particular we will try to understand the political advantage governments seek through violating human rights. Next we will examine what are the economic and social consequences of repression. Finally we will examine if previous cycles of repression like slavery for example make countries more likely to use violence today. Throughout the class we will use examples from the world around us to test and illustrate the arguments made in the literature, the conflicts in Myanmar, Syria and Iraq, and the former conflicts in Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom in Northern Ireland are a few examples.

Course leader

Dr. M. Rodwan Abouharb

Target group

This is a level one module (equivalent to first year undergraduate). No prior subject knowledge is required for this module, but students are expected to have a keen interest in the area.

Course aim

Upon successful completion of this module, students will:

understand why governments violate human rights through a critical understanding of both academic texts and real world examples of government policy choices.
understand the substantive topical questions, which have been asked concerning the repression of human rights.
have developed a conceptually and empirically informed understanding of the debates surrounding human rights repression and respect.
be able to critically engage with the debates in the literature on human rights repression and respect.
be qualified to proceed to further specialised study of human rights and/or employment in a related field.
have better developed the skills associated with: reading about, understanding and discussing conceptual issues and theoretical debates; applying concepts and theories to the empirical study of human rights; writing essays and participating in group discussions.