This course will introduce you to key themes and debates in the field of international human rights. Starting with a discussion of the political and economic devastation in post-World War II Europe, students will examine the theoretical and historical foundations of international human rights law. The course will examine the way that the idea of “human rights” has expanded since the 1948 adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It will also focus on key human rights challenges in today’s world (e.g., digital rights, forced migration, business and human rights, women’s rights, sexual orientation, and gender identity). Using examples from around the world, we will pay particular attention to the complexity of advancing a human rights agenda in a world of power politics and will also look carefully at the interaction of international human rights law with other issues, including international security, development, environmental sustainability, and international humanitarian law.
*Academic credit is defined by the University of Pennsylvania as a course unit (c.u.). A course unit (c.u.) is a general measure of academic work over a period of time, typically a term (semester or summer). A c.u. (or a fraction of a c.u.) represents different types of academic work across different types of academic programs and is the basic unit of progress toward a degree. One c.u. is usually converted to a four-semester-hour course.
Instructor
- Instructor, Penn LPS Online
Dr. Eileen Doherty-Sil is a senior lecturer in political science and faculty director of the core and Africa general program at the Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies. Prior to joining Lauder, she was the associate director of undergraduate studies in the University of Pennsylvania’s… Read more
