This course covers the history, theory, and practice of human rights from a global perspective. We will emphasize the normative context within which human rights discourses develop, followed by an explanation of how and why international institutions support (or inhibit) the protection of human rights in local contexts.

The overriding goal of the course is for the students to begin to address three foundational questions:

1 - What are human rights, or, rather, what should they be?;

2 - How do human rights function in today's world? (i.e. How do political and legal institutions, including NGOs, actually "do" human rights work?), and;

3 - Do human rights matter? (i.e. What are the practical possibilities and limitations informing the ability of the international human rights regime to achieve its stated goals?).

We will aim to get a sense of relevant, contemporary human rights issues through academic analysis, empirical evidence, and cultural inquiry. Students will develop a sense of the diverse perspectives on these issues internationally, while critically exploring the possibilities and contestations involved in human rights as a concept and as practice. This course will prepare students to study these issues in greater depth in their 400-level courses and graduate school. This course will also provide students with an opportunity to practice virtual collaboration as it will be necessary to successfully work and learn together via online methods.