Human Rights a Global Perspective

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LEBANESE INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

HUMAN 210 Human Rights-A Global PerspectiveMWF: 10:00-10:50Room TBA

Instructor: Abir Chaaban

MA in Interdisciplinary Studies- International Law, International Relations, and History.York University Toronto, Canada.

BS in Liberal Studies-Communication Arts and Cultural Studies. Lebanese AmericanUniversity, Beirut Lebanon.

Course Objective: This is an introductory course in international human rights. Thecourse aims to introduce the historical development of human rights and the theoreticaldiscourse on the universality of human rights. In addition, this course studiesinternational legal instruments The Bill of Rights regulating human rights within theinternational state system.

Course Description: The course is divided into five parts, an introduction to thehistorical development of human rights prior 1948, the theoretical discourse behind the

universality of human rights, human rights law, human rights in time of peace, humanrights in time of war, and some contemporary issues.

Prerequisites: This course has no prerequisites. Nevertheless, students who took PHIL205 Introduction to Ethics are encouraged to take this course.

Required Readings:

Course Kit HUMAN-210 Human Rights-A Global Perspective

Required readings

Devine, Carol; Hansen, Carol Rae; Wilde, Ralph; Bronkhorst, Daan; Moritz, Frederic A.;Rolle, Baptiste; Sherman, Rebecca; Southard, Jo Lynn; Wilkinson, Robert; Poole, Hilary,Ed. Human Rights: The Essential Reference

Jack Donnelly, Universal Human Rights in Theory and in Practice , 2nd Edition, 2000,

Kindred, Hugh M., Karen Mickelson, Rene Provost, Linda C. Reif, Ted L. McDorman,Armand L.C. deMestral, and Sharon A. Williams. International Law Chiefly as


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Interpreted and Applied in Canada. Toronto: Edmond Montgomery Publications, Ltd.,2002.

Kindred, Hugh et al, International Law Chiefly as Interpreted and Applied inCanada.Supplementary Documents.

Recommended Readings

Castles, Stephen and Alastair Davidson, Citizenship and Migration: Globalization and the Politics of Belonging (New York: Routledge, 2000),

Dixon, Martin, International Law, Fifth Edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005)

Michael, Allen Research and Analysis Civil Rights and Political Human Rights:Contesting Human Rights Failures within the Minimally Democratic State POLITICS:2009 VOL 29(1), 1119

Internet sources:

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (and UN Human RightsCouncil)http://www.ohchr.org/english/

The United Nations Headquarters Home Pagehttp://www.un.org/

International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia Home Page

http://www.un.org/icty/ The University of Minnesota International Human Rights Library(best, in general, for human rights related documents! )http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/

Amnesty International Online(Click Library link for County Reports) http://www.amnesty.org/

The Human Rights Watch Home Page http://www.hrw.org/

Course EvaluationAttendance 5%Participation/Discussions/Debates 20%Midterm 20%Research Paper 35%Final Exam 20%
http://www.ohchr.org/english/http://www.un.org/http://www.un.org/icty/http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/http://www.amnesty.org/http://www.hrw.org/http://www.ohchr.org/english/http://www.un.org/http://www.un.org/icty/http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/http://www.amnesty.org/http://www.hrw.org/


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Research paper: The research paper is a case study related to a contemporaryhuman rights issue of the students choice. All student are expected to follow theterm paper schedule which will be published by the instructor by the end of week one of the course. The term paper must be organized around a thesis and a coherentoutline. both must be approved by the instructor.

Participation/Discussions/Debates: At the end of each class a discussion on thematerial is held, and by the end of each Part a debate on a case study is held in class.All students must prepare an outline of their discussion questions for case studiesthat are held in class.

Exams: Exams will test the students on the terms discussed and the informationstudied in class. Students will be given study questions prior to the exam.

Extensions

There will be no extensions for the term paper except for illness or severe personalextenuating circumstances. Otherwise, twenty per cent will be deducted from yourmark for each day, including weekends and holidays.

Plagiarism:Ensure that you have acquainted your self with LIU regulations of plagiarism. Allplagiarized papers will be awarded an F grade. Course Schedule:

Part One: Human Rights Before 1948

Class Topic of Study ReadingsWeek One Introduction to Course

Syllabus The History of Human

Rights The Greek Tradition The Roman Foundation English Traditions of Right

and Law Natural Rights and the Social

Contract

Carole Devine et al, Human Rights: The Essential ReferenceChapter I

Week Two The Enlightenment The American Revolution,

and the Bill of Rights The French Revolution and

the Rights of Citizen andMan


Castles, Stephen and Alastair Davidson, Citizenship and


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Citizenship and rights Case Study: The Palestinian

Refugees in Lebanon

Migration: Globalization and the Politics of Belonging Chapter I, Citizenship after theFrench Revolution

Week Three Universal Suffrage and Early

Feminism The Labor Movement

Carole Devine et al, Human

Rights: The Essential ReferenceChapter I

Week Four Internationalism, WoodrowWilson and the League of

Nations Totalitarianism, World War

II, and the Holocaust


Part Two: Theoretical Perspectives on Human Rights

Week Five Are Human Rights Universal The Concept of Human

Rights

Jack Donnelly,Universal Human

Rights in Theoryand in PracticeChapter I

Week Six The UniversalDeclaration Model

Jack Donnelly,Universal Human

Rights in Theoryand in PracticeChapter III

Week seven THE UNIVERSALDECLARATION OF HUMANRIGHTS

An Overview of the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

An Analysis of the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights

Human Rights: The Essential ReferenceChapter II and III

Week Eight An Analysis of the Universal

Declaration of Human Rights Human Rights: The Essential ReferenceChapter III


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Rights: Contesting HumanRights Failures within theMinimally Democratic State

Part Four: Human Rights in Time of War

Week Twelve The Law of theHague and theLaw of Geneva

The GenevaConventions

Case StudiesWeek Thirteen The Geneva

Conventions The Case of Sabra

and Chatila

Part Five: The Contemporary Human Rights Movement

Week Fourteen An Overview of

Human RightsMovement.

GovernmentalOrganizations

Week Fifteen NongovernmentalOrganizations

ContemporaryHuman RightsIssues

Term Paper is Due