History of Human Rights and the North-South Divide

Recommended Prerequisites

The same prerequisites for being accepted in the doctoral program, including English proficiency.

Teaching Methods

Methodologies:

Seminar providing a mix of theoretical exposition and case-based analysis

Oral presentation and feedback amongst peers and tutor

Continuous feedback and guidance via email and office hours.

Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete this subject will

Students who successfully complete this subject will

acquire a thorough knowledge of the history and origins of human rights

master epistemological and cultural conceptions and understanding of human rights in various contexts

develop intercultural and contextualised understandings of the history of human rights

comprehend the complex dynamics of factors contributing to the development of human rights in different partsof the world

be able to grasp the situated character of HR related knowledge production and dissemination

recognize the role of human rights in inter-regional relations from a historical perspective

be able to critically examine intellectual positions and their development

develop research skills, involving essay writing competency and the capability to synthesize and discuss differentpoints of view, as well as to critically present new arguments

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

The cultural origins of human rights

Modernity, identity and human rights

Colonialism and human rights

Cosmopolitanism and human rights

Human rights in the North-South, North-North and South-South relations

Intercultural translation of human rights

Human rights and epistemologies of the South.

Head Lecturer(s)

Bruno Daniel Gomes Sena Martins

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Frequency: 20.0%
Research work: 40.0%
Oral presentation : 40.0%

Bibliography

Santos, Boaventura de Sousa (2015), If God were a human rights activist. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

Falk, Richard A. (2000), “A Half-Century of Human Rights”, Human rights horizons: the pursuit of justice in a globalizing world. New York: Routledge, 37-56.

Moyn, Samuel (2010), The last utopia: human rights in history. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 11-43.

Hunt, Lynn (2007), Inventing human rights: a history. New York: W.W. Norton & Co

Jensen, Steven (2016), The Making of International Human Rights: the 1960s, Decolonization and the Reconstruction of Global Values. New York: Cambridge University Press.