Human Rights: Promise and Problematics (PAX 218) Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies Program, DePaul University

Fall 2014

Mondays & Wednesdays 1:00-2:30pm Arts & Letters Hall Room 406

Miklos Gosztonyi mgoszton@depaul.edu

Office hours: M-W 12:00-1:00pm, with previous email appointment Clifton-Fullerton Hall, Room 150.21

Course description This course provides students an overview of the promises and challenges posed by the advancement of human rights at the domestic and international level. The course is structured in two parts.

The first part (weeks #1-4) analyzes the historical origins and philosophical foundations of human rights, focusing on some of the key questions regarding their definition and implementation: What are human rights? How can we make a case for humans holding certain inalienable rights? Are human rights universal or are they culturally rooted? Can certain circumstances justify putting a limitation to human rights, at least temporarily? This part of the course also provides a historical background to the emergence of the international human rights regime, from its birth to its consolidation following World War II and the establishment of international courts and tribunals over the past two decades.

The second part of the course (weeks #5-10) consists of class discussion following the screening

of documentaries on various topics and case studies: (the lack of) international intervention in the 1994 Rwandan genocide; the establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its role in trying high-profile human rights violators; Palestinian and Israeli grassroots organizing to uphold the rights of Palestinians; community mobilization against Chevron in Ecuador to defend indigenous economic and environmental rights; human rights in the “war on terror”; mass incarceration in the United States as a consequence of the “war on drugs”. These topics should provide students a wide-ranging understanding of some of the key human rights problems of current times. Readings There is one required book for this course: Jack Donnelly, Universal Human Rights in Theory and Practice, 3rd edition, Cornell University Press, 2013. The book is available as course reserves at the Richardson Library’s Reserve Desk. It is also available for purchase at the DePaul Bookstore. All other articles listed on this syllabus are also required readings and have been posted on D2L. Students will have to print the readings and bring them to class on the corresponding meeting for discussion. Requirements All assignments are mandatory. In order to obtain a final passing grade, students must complete, without exception, all assignments specified on this syllabus. 1. Class participation: 30% of the final grade. Class attendance is mandatory. A minimum 75% attendance is required for students to obtain a passing grade at the end of the course, unless for medical reasons supported by appropriate medical certificates. The instructor will check assistance at the beginning of each meeting. Students are required to do the assigned readings before the class meets and to actively participate in class discussion. 2. Three position papers (3-4 pages): 30% of the final grade. These papers are intended to give students the chance to write a commentary on the documentaries that we will be watching on weeks #5-10. We will be watching in total six documentaries, of which you will have to choose three to write your position papers about. The choice on which documentaries to write your position papers is entirely personal, but as a general advice, don’t leave writing your three position papers for the last three weeks. Manage your time strategically. Position papers must be brought in hard copy on the Wednesday meeting following the screening of the documentary and handed over before the class begins. Late submission of your position

paper (i.e. once we have discussed the documentary in class) will not be accepted. Positions papers should not be summaries of the documentaries, but rather a series of personal reflections and reactions to the documentaries. You must make references to the readings that are assigned for that documentary in your position papers if you intend to get a good grade. More guidelines on position papers will be sent by email on Week 5. 3. A take-home final exam: 40% of the final grade The final exam will cover the contents of the whole course and is intended to give you the chance to elaborate a general reflection on some large questions related to the promotion of human rights internationally and at home. More details about the format of the exam will be provided as the quarter progresses. The exam prompt will be emailed to you and posted on D2L after class meets on Monday, November 17. You will have to upload your final exam on D2L in a folder named “Final Exams” by 6:00pm on Wednesday, November 26. Rules #1. The use of all types of electronic devices, including computers, is strictly not allowed in class. I’m asking for your undivided attention twice a week for an hour and a half. Please turn off your phones before class begins and put them away. I will be strict in enforcing this rule. #2. Late submission of assignments will not be accepted unless for justified medical reasons and with prior notice only. If you are having family, health, or personal issues of any kind, do not hesitate to contact me beforehand so that things can be accommodated in such a manner that will allow you to fulfill the course requirements, but again, contact me beforehand. #3. You are required to come to class for the Monday screenings of documentaries on weeks #5-10. The purpose of the screenings is to watch all the documentaries in full, as a group, and to discuss them the following Wednesday. If you don’t come and see a screening on a Monday, your position paper that week will not be accepted. #4. Students are strongly advised against plagiarism, especially copying and pasting materials from the internet, journals, and books without proper citations. Students should familiarize themselves with the University’s policy on academic integrity at the Student Handbook, which can be found at: http://studentaffairs.depaul.edu #5. All written assignments must be doubled-spaced and typed in 12-point Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins on all sides of each page. If you make extensive quotes from sources (i.e. more than a few lines) the length of those quotes will be deducted from the total length of your paper. Quantity does not make for quality or intellectual depth, but the required paper length range must be respected if you intend to receive a good grade. You may use any citation format as long as it is consistent.

Course schedule

Week #1: Course introduction Wednesday, September 10: General course introduction Week #2: Thinking theoretically and historically about human rights #1 Monday, September 15: Thinking about human rights

1. Michael Freeman, Human Rights: An Interdisciplinary Approach, 2nd edition, Polity, 2011, chapter 1.

2. David Forsythe, Human Rights in International Relations, 3rd edition, Cambridge University Press, 2012, chapter 1.

Wednesday, September 17: A brief history of human rights

3. Jack Donnelly, Universal Human Rights in Theory and Practice, Cornell University Press, 3rd edition, 2013, chapter 5.

4. Paul Gordon Lauren, “History of Human Rights,” in David P. Forsythe (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Human Rights, Oxford University Press, 2009.

Week #3: Thinking theoretically and historically about human rights #2 Monday, September 22: Toward a theory of human rights #1

5. Jack Donnelly, Universal Human Rights in Theory and Practice, Cornell University Press, 3rd edition, 2013, chapters 1 and 2.

Wednesday, September 24: Toward a theory of human rights #2

6. Jack Donnelly, Universal Human Rights in Theory and Practice, Cornell University Press, 3rd edition, 2013, chapters 3 and 4.

Week #4: Thinking theoretically and historically about human rights #3 Monday, September 29: Human rights and the international state system

7. Tim Dunne and Marianne Hanson, “Human rights in international relations,” in Michael Goodhart (Ed.) Human Rights. Politics and Practice, Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, 2013.

8. Rhona K. M. Smith, “Human rights in international law,” in Michael Goodhart (Ed.) Human Rights. Politics and Practice, Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, 2013.

Wednesday, October 1: Non-governmental organizations and human rights

9. Ann Marie Clark, “Nongovernmental Organizations: Overview,” in David P. Forsythe (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Human Rights, Oxford University Press, 2009.

10. David Forsythe, Human Rights in International Relations, 3rd edition, Cambridge University Press, 2012, chapter 7.

Week #5: International intervention: the Rwandan genocide Monday, October 6: Screening of Ghosts of Rwanda Wednesday, October 8: Discussion of Ghosts of Rwanda

11. Howard B. Tolley Jr., “Rwanda,” in David P. Forsythe (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Human Rights, Oxford University Press, 2009.

12. Scott Straus, “Genocide and Human Rights,” in Michael Goodhart (Ed.) Human Rights. Politics and Practice, Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, 2013.

13. Thomas G. Weiss, “United Nations Security Council,” in David P. Forsythe (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Human Rights, Oxford University Press, 2009.

Week #6: A new era of rights? The International Criminal Court Monday, October 13: Screening of The Reckoning Wednesday, October 15: Discussion of The Reckoning

14. David Forsythe, Human Rights in International Relations, 3rd edition, Cambridge University Press, 2012, chapter 4.

15. Robert C. Johansen, “The International Criminal Court,” in David P. Forsythe (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Human Rights, Oxford University Press, 2009.

16. Joanna R. Quinn, “Transitional justice,” in Michael Goodhart (Ed.) Human Rights. Politics and Practice, Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, 2013.

Week #7: Promoting human rights at the grassroots level: Israel/Palestine Monday, October 20: Screening of Budrus Wednesday, October 22: Discussion of Budrus

17. Mark Tessler, “The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict,” in Ellen Lust (Ed.) The Middle East, CQ

press, 13th edition, 2014. 18. Mary Elizabeth King, “Palestinian Civil Resistance against Israeli Military Occupation,”

in Maria J. Stephan (Ed.) Civilian Jihad: Nonviolent Struggle, Democratization, and Governance in the Middle East, Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.

19. Jimmy Carter, Palestine: Peace not Apartheid, Simon & Schuster, 2006, chapter 16.

Week #8: Economic rights: community organizing for environmental rights in Ecuador Monday, October 27: Screening of Crude Wednesday, October 29: Discussion of Crude

20. Michael Freeman, Human Rights: An Interdisciplinary Approach, 2nd edition, Polity, 2011, chapter 8.

21. David Forsythe, Human Rights in International Relations, 3rd edition, Cambridge University Press, 2012, chapter 8.

22. Collection of articles from The New York Times on the legal case. Week #9: Human rights and the “war on terror” Monday, November 3: Screening of Taxi to the Dark Side Wednesday, November 5: Discussion of Taxi to the Dark Side

23. Jack Donnelly, International Human Rights, 4th edition, Westview Press, 2013, chapter 15.

24. William F. Schulz, “Torture,” in Michael Goodhart (Ed.) Human Rights. Politics and Practice, Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, 2013.

25. Andrea Birdsall, “‘A monstrous failure of justice’? Guantanamo Bay and national security challenges to fundamental human rights,” in International Politics, Vol.47, No.6.

Week #10: The war on drugs and mass incarceration in the United States

Monday, November 10: Screening of The House I Live In Wednesday, November 12: Discussion of The House I Live In

26. Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow. Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, The New Press, 2010, chapters 2 and 3.

Week #11: Wrapping up Monday, November 17: Concluding class discussion and guidelines for final exam