PHIL 338A: READING ASSIGNMENTS

Except for the first day, readings should be done before the class meeting for which they are due. Reading assignments are taken from the following sources: (1) Required Text: Patrick Hayden, ed., The Philosophy of Human Rights, available for purchase at the University Book Store. (2) Optional Text: Talbott, Which Rights Should Be Universal?, available for purchase at the University Book Store. The readings from the Talbott text are also available in Volume 2 of the course reader. So you should not purchase the Talbott text unless you want to own it. You have a choice to purchase the Talbott text or Volume 2 of the course reader. Don't purchase both. (3) Course Readers (Readers I and II) available for purchase at the University Book Store. Everyone should purchase Reader Volume 1. Those who don't purchase the optional Talbott text should purchase Reader Volume II.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to a mix-up, Volume 1 of the course reader contains the reading assignments from 2010 rather than the current reading assignments. If you make adjustments in the dates, the reading assignments are the same. However, THERE HAVE BEEN CHANGES IN THE TIMES FOR SUBMITTING HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS ONLINE. PLEASE REFER TO THIS (2012) VERSION OF THE READINGS FOR CORRECT DEADLINES FOR ASSIGNMENTS.

Week #1 (Jan. 3-6): Introduction

Reading Assignment: (1) Talbott, Which Rights Should be Universal?, Chaps. 1-2, pp. 3-38 (plus endnotes). [READER II]

(2) Joel Feinberg, "The Nature and Value of Rights", Text pp. 174-186.

(3)U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), Text pp. 353-358.

Week #2 (Jan. 10-13): Rights: Negative, Positive, and Hybrids

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT #1 DUE IN SECTION ON WEDNESDAY, JAN. 11.

Reading Assignment:

For Tuesday: (1) Maurice Cranston, "Human Rights, Real and Supposed", Text pp. 163-173.

(2) Henry Shue, Basic Rights, pp. 22-40. [READER I, pp. 3-12]

For Thursday: (3) Martha C. Nussbaum, "Capabilities and Human Rights", Text pp. 212-240.

(4) Amartya Sen, "Development as Freedom", pp. 168-187 and notes on pp. 330-335. READER I, pp. pp. 92-101 [and notes].

Week #3 (Jan. 17-20): Theories of Rights

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT #2 DUE IN SECTION ON WED., JAN. 18.

Reading Assignment:

For Tuesday: (1) John Locke, "The Second Treatise of Government", Text pp. 71-79.

(2) John Stuart Mill, "Utilitarianism" and "On Liberty", Text pp. 136-146.

For Thursday: (3) John Rawls, Political Liberalism (excerpts from "Fundamental Ideas" and "The Basic Structure as a Subject"), pp. 15-28 and 271-278. [READER I, pp. 23-35]

Week #4 (Jan. 24-27): Cultural Relativism and Universal Human Rights

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT #3 POSTED ON GO-POST SITE FOR YOUR SECTION BY 8 PM ON TUES., JAN. 24.

MIDTERM REVIEW QUESTIONS HANDED OUT IN LECTURE ON THURSDAY, JAN. 26.

Reading Assignment:

For Tuesday: (1) American Anthropological Association (1947), "Statement on Human Rights" [READER I, pp. 13-15].

(2) Talbott, Chaps. 3-4, pp. 39-86 (plus endnotes)]. [READER II]

(3) American Anthropological Association (1999) "Declaration on Anthropology and Human Rights"

[READER I, pp. 86-87].

Week #5, (Jan. 31 - Feb. 3): Subjective or Objective Universality of Rights?

MIDTERM REVIEW IN LECTURE ON THURS., FEB. 2 AND IN SECTION ON FRIDAY, FEB. 3.

Reading Assignment: (1) Charles Taylor, ""A World Consensus on Human Rights?", Text pp. 409-422.

(2) Kwasi Wiredu, "An Akan Perspective on Human Rights", Text pp. 298-314.

(3) Dalai Lama, "Human Rights and Universal Responsibility", Text pp. 291-297.

Week #6 (Feb. 7-10): Women's Rights

MIDTERM EXAM IN SECTION ON WED., FEB. 8.

Reading Assignment:

For Tuesday: (1) Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na`im, "Human Rights in the Muslim World", Text pp. 315-335.

(2) Jan Goodwin, Price of Honor, pp. 43-45, 56-57, 113-116, and 263-270. [READER I, pp. 36-46]

(3) Mary Wollstonecraft, "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman", Text pp. 101-108.

For Thursday: (1) Talbott, Chapter 5, pp. 87-112 (plus endnotes). [READER II]

(2) Molly Melching, "You Are an African Woman" speech given at John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, November 16, 2000. [READER I, pp. 88-91].

(3) Yael Tamir, "Hands Off Clitoridectomy", Boston Review (1996), pp. 21-22. [READER I, pp. 16-17]

(4) Martha Nussbaum, Jessica Neuwirth, Frances Kamm, and Robert P. George (correspondence), and Yael Tamir (replies), in Boston Review (October-November 1996), pp. 28-32. [READER I, pp. 18-22]

(5) Amartya Sen, Development as Freedom, pp. 194-203, 210-225, and notes on pp. 335-343. [READER I, pp. 102-114 (plus endnotes)]

(6) U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979), Text pp. 660-668.

Week #7, Part I (Feb. 14-15): Feminist Criticisms of Rights

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT #4 DUE IN SECTION ON WED., FEB. 15.

Reading Assignment: (1) Catharine A. MacKinnon, "Rape, Genocide, and Women's Human Rights", Text pp. 526-542.

(2) Arati Rao, "Right in the Home: Feminist Theoretical Perspectives on International Human Rights", Text pp. 505-525. [Note that in the second full paragraph on p. 511, "saneness" should be "sameness"; in the paragraph after the Pateman quote on p. 515, "lights" should be "rights".]

Week #7, Part II (Feb. 16-17): Robust Group Rights?

Reading Assignment: (1) African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, Text pp. 359-366.

(2) Draft U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (1994), Text pp. 652-657.

(3) James Crawford, "The Rights of Peoples: 'Peoples' or 'Governments'?", Text pp. 427-444.

(4) Will Kymlicka, "The Good, the Bad, and the Intolerable: Minority Group Rights", Text pp. 445-461.

Week #8 (Feb. 21-24): Rights to Sexual Expression

FINAL PROJECT TOPIC APPROVED BY TA BY THE END OF SECTION ON WED. FEB. 22.

Reading Assignment: (1) Jack Donnelly, "Non-Discrimination and Sexual Orientation", Text pp. 547-573.

(2) Martha C. Nussbaum, "Lesbian and Gay Rights", Text pp. 574-596.

Week #9, Part I (Feb. 28-29): International Enforcement of Human Rights

FINAL PROJECT INTRODUCTION POSTED ON THE GOPOST SITE FOR YOUR SECTION BY 8 PM ON WEDNESDAY, FEB. 29.

Reading Assignment: (1) Jamie Mayerfeld, "Who Shall Judge?: The United States, the International Criminal Court, and the Global Enforcement of Human Rights." [READER I, pp. 47-83]

(2) 10-16-2002 U.S. Restates Objections to International Criminal Court.  [READER I, pp. 84-85]

Week #9, Part II (Mar. 1-2): Historical Objections to Human Rights

FINAL EXAM REVIEW QUESTIONS TO BE DISTRIBUTED IN CLASS ON THURSDAY, MARCH 1.

SEND YOUR TA YOUR EMAIL VOTE FOR THE BEST FINAL PROJECT INTRO. BY 8 PM ON THURSDAY, MARCH 1.

Reading Assignment: (1) Edmund Burke, "Reflections on the Revolution in France", Text pp. 88-94.

(2) Karl Marx, "On the Jewish Question", Text pp. 126-135.

Week #10 (Mar. 6-9): More Objections and Conclusion

FINAL PROJECT DUE IN SECTION ON WED., MARCH 7.

REVIEW FOR FINAL EXAM IN LECTURE ON THURS., MARCH 8 AND IN SECTION ON FRIDAY, MARCH 9.

(1) Richard Rorty, "Human Rights, Rationality, and Sentimentality", Text pp. 241-257.

(2) Talbott, Excerpts from Chaps. 8 and 9, pp. 166-173, 178-180, and 184-188. [READER II]