Syllabus
1. Introduction to the course. History of the concept of human rights.
2. Human rights and natural rights.
3. Moral vs. legal rights. Legal positivism. Moral relativism and human rights.
4. Generations of human rights.
5. Human rights in non-European traditions.
6. Human rights implementation and post-colonial critique.
7. Human rights in the United Nations. Declaration of human rights.
8. Human rights in international law.
9. Human rights legislation in a regional and continental context.
10. The concept of citizenship and human rights.
11. Human rights treaties by issues: race, gender, age.
12. Role of non-governmental organizations in the promotion of human rights.
13. Concluding remarks and preparation for the test.
Annotation
The main goal of the course is to present students with a history of the concept of human rights in the Western intellectual history; with historical and current forms of institutions in place to promote and enforce human rights; with current controversies related to the human rights agenda in the multi-cultural globalized world.