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Module Title
LM Human Rights
School
Phil, Theology and Religion
Department
Philosophy
Module Code
08 14515
Module Lead
Merten Reglitz
Level
Masters Level
Credits
20
Semester
Semester 2
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions
None
Exclusions
Description
This module introduces students to the contemporary philosophical debates about human rights. It focuses more on human rights understood as moral rights rather than as legal rights written in international law. We will begin from the very basic question of what human rights are. We will also consider questions such as ‘What kind of human rights are there?’, ‘Which beings can have human rights?’, 'Are human rights inalienable?', and ‘What happens when human rights conflict?’ The first half of the module then focuses on exploring different philosophical justifications for human rights. We will cover topics such as justifications based on the dignity of human agency, international politics, and human flourishing. The second half of the module will focus on philosophical debates about the nature of specific human rights as well as contentious or new human rights.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module the student should be able to:
Show familiarity with the several dominant philosophical theories of human rights..
Explain and evaluate different philosophical justifications for human rights.
Demonstrate understanding of philosophical and ethical debates about well-established as well as novel or controversial individual human rights.
Understand the scope of human rights and the duties they entail as well as justifications for restricting human rights.
Assessment
14515-02 : Option 1: 4000 word essay : Coursework (100%)
14515-03 : Option 2: 2 x 2000 word essay : Coursework (100%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions
Assessments: EITHER one 4000 word essay (100%)OR two 2000 word essays (each 50%)
Reassessment: The same as the first assessment.
Other
Reading List
J. Donnelly, Universal Human Rights in Theory and Practice, 1989
Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); Convention on the Rights of the Child; European Convention of Huiman Rights; Other regional instruments and systems for human rights protection.
Jeremy Waldron (ed) Theories of Rights, 1984
Jeremy Waldron, Nonsense upon Stilts, 1987
Van Ness, Debating Human Rights: Critical Perspectives from the US and Asia, 1999
Universal Declaration, 1948; International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966; International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 1966;
