SCHC 437 H02 25979

SocBehavSci, GSS

Notes:

Human rights have become one of the most powerful ways of envisioning and advocating for a more just world. From the abolitionist movement in the U.S. to the Rwandan genocide, societal progress — or lack thereof — has often been assessed through the rubric of rights. Yet, despite the power of human rights as an abstract concept, what exactly is included in those rights — and who or what is responsible for ensuring them, on behalf of whom, and where — remains contested. In this seminar-style course, we’ll apply a spatial lens to analyze the complexities, paradoxes, and uneven distributive geographies that characterize the intersection of human rights ideals and diverse global contexts. We’ll evaluate the historical, geopolitical dynamics that have shaped the development of human rights norms and the mechanisms of responsibility for ensuring them. We’ll pay particular attention to how contemporary global dynamics are re-igniting long-standing human rights debates and catalyzing new ones, from climate change to China’s geopolitical rise. Through a series of summits and case studies, students will gain an appreciation for how the rhetoric of human rights intersects with the realities of diverse global contexts and a better understanding of how they might meaningfully engage in human rights debates across multiple scales.