PHIL 338, Philosophy of Human Rights

Talbott (5 credits)

This course will provide you with a comprehensive introduction to the philosophy of human rights. The course begins with an overview of the main issues in the conceptualization and justification of human rights. The course then considers the following special topics: Should human rights be understood only negatively, as rights not to be coerced, or they include positive rights—that is, rights to be provided with something (e.g., subsistence, health care, or education). Are human rights culturally relative? We will consider the position that human rights reflect "Western values" and do not apply to other societies. We will also consider the potential conflict between women's rights and traditional values; and feminist criticisms of human rights as androcentric. Other questions include: Are there gay and lesbian rights? Are human rights individual rights, or do they also include group rights? We will also discuss international enforcement and the role of the International Criminal Court. There will be a Midterm Exam, a Final Exam, several short written assignments, and a final project, a research paper on a human rights issue. This course qualifies as a core course for the Human Rights Minor and is an approved course for the Law, Societies, & Justice sub-field on rights. Meets I&S Requirement.

Prerequisites: None.

Required Texts: (1) Patrick Hayden, The Philosophy of Human Rights; (2) volume 1 of the course reader; and (3) volume 2 of the course reader, which contains excerpts from my book, Which Rights Should Be Universal? There are no royalty payments included in the price of volume 2 of the reader. If you are interested in reading the entire book, you will have the option of buying a copy of my book instead of volume 2 of the course reader. Don’t buy both.