Human Rights

Year
2
Academic year
2019-2020
Code
01620513
Subject Area
Political Science – International Relations
Language of Instruction
Portuguese
Mode of Delivery
Face-to-face
Duration
SEMESTRIAL
ECTS Credits
6.0
Type
Compulsory
Level
1st Cycle Studies

Recommended Prerequisites

NA

Teaching Methods

The curricular unit is organized in lectures for systematization of contents, based on exposition and discussion of the various topics, through interactive methods with students aimed; and practical courses aimed at the discussion of specific topics and issues involving the students and stimulating their capacity to relate the contents with current international issues. After a brief introduction to the theoretical groundings of human rights, the first part of the program will focus on the emergence and institutionalization of international human rights law, namely in terms of its promotion and protection at the normative and procedural levels. The second part consists of the debate of current issues of international human right politics. In terms of evaluation, students will make individual and group presentations in class as well as develop individual written essays (such as press analysis, reading notes, among others). Students may also choose general regime of evaluation.

Learning Outcomes

Objectives:

Providing the students with consolidated knowledge on the topic of human rights as an intellectual and political discourse, and a sphere of political action.

Understand and apply the various perspectives and positioning related with the evolution of human rights at the international level; understand and analyze the contemporary international dynamics and problematiques in the relations between human rights and international politics.

 

Competencies:

Research and critical analysis capacity based on the acquired scientific knowledge through methodologies that focus on an active role on the part of the students; oral and written communication skills; ability to formulate logical reasoning in a grounded way.

Knowledge of the evolution and functioning of the different international human rights protection systems, including changes and evolutions in course; capacity to critically think and analyze the different concepts and trends in the study of human rights.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

PART I: INTERNATIONAL LAW OF HUMAN RIGHTS

I.1 The process of internationalization of human rights

1.1 Emergence of international Human Rights norms

1.2 Universal Declaration of Human Rights

1.3 Human Rights: From the Cold War until today

I.2 Universal protection system

2.1 Normative dimension

A) United Nations’ International Covenants

2.2 Procedural dimension

A) UN Human Rights Commission and Sub-Commission

B) Conventional Mechanisms

C) Extra-Conventional Mechanisms

D) Human Rights Council

I.3 Regional protection systems

3.1 The European System

3.2 The Inter-American System

3.3 The African system

I.4: Gross human rights violations and international responsibility

4.1 Towards an end to impunity

4.2 The International Criminal Court

4.3. Humanitarian intervention and the Responsibility to Protect

PART II: INTERNATIONAL POLITICS OF HUMAN RIGHTS

II.1: Human Rights and Foreign Policy

II.2: Human Rights and Democracy

II.3: The Universalism vs Cultural Relativism in Human Rights

Head Lecturer(s)

Daniela Rute dos Santos Nascimento

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Students will make individual and group presentations in class as well as develop individual written essays (such as press analysis, reading notes, among others). Students may also choose general regime of evaluation.: 100.0%

Bibliography

Buergenthal, T. (1997), “The Evolution of International Human Rights” (printed as “The Normative and Institutional Evolution of International Human Rights”, in Human Rights Quarterly 19, 1997, pp. 703-723

Donnelly, Jack (1998), International Human Rights. Boulder.: Westview Press, cap. 1: “Human Rights as am Issue in World Politics”, pp.3-17

Luard, Evan (1992), “Human Rights and Foreign Policy”, in Claude & Weston (eds.), Human Rights in the World Community. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, pp.296-307

Chun, L. (2001), “Human Rights and Democracy: The Case for Decoupling”, The International Journal of Human Rights, vol. 5 (3), pp. 19-44

Parekh, Bhikhu (1999), “Non-ethnocentric universalism”, in Dunne & Wheeler (eds.), Human Rights in Global Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp.128-159

Bellamy, Alex (2008), “The Responsibility to Protect and the problem of military intervention”, International Affairs, 84 (4)