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 have a choice to purchase the Talbott text or Volume 2 of the course reader.  Don't purchase both.  (3) Course Reader (2 Volumes), available for purchase at the University Book Store.  Everyone should purchase Volume 1.  Those who don't purchase the optional Talbott text should purchase Volume 2.  (4) Electronic Reserve (URL: http://www.lib.washington.edu/services/course/).  

 

Mon. –Tues. June 23-24:  Introduction

Reading Assignment:  (1) Talbott, Which Rights Should be Universal?, Chaps. 1-2.  [READER  Vol. 2, pp. 3-38 (plus endnotes), also available on E-RESERVES]

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

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

 

Wed. June 25:  Negative Rights and Positive Rights

HW #1 DUE IN CLASS ON WED. JUNE 25.

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

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

 

Thurs. June 26:  Capabilities

(1) Martha C. Nussbaum, "Capabilities and Human Rights", Text pp. 212-240.

(2) Amartya Sen, "Development as Freedom", Reader pp. pp. 92-101 [and notes]. 

If you are interested in finding out more about Nussbaum and Sen, I recommend the following video interviews (If you access this document on the PHIL 338 Web site, you can copy and paste the Web addresses rather than trying to type them):

Nussbaum:  http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1489004289964352741&q=Conversations+with+History+nussbaum&total=1&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

Sen: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4061364752771125692&q=Conversations+with+History+sen&total=55&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

 

Fri., June 27:  Begin Theories of Rights

HW #2 DUE IN CLASS ON FRI. JUNE 27.

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

 

Mon. June 30: More Theories of Rights

Reading Assignment:  (1) John Stuart Mill, "Utilitarianism" and "On Liberty", Text pp. 136-146.

(2) John Rawls, Political Liberalism, pp. 15-28 and 271-278. [READER pp. 23-35]

 

Tues.. July 1:  The Original Position

HW #3 POSTED ON E-POST BY 10 AM ON WEDNESDAY JULY 2.  READ ALL POSTINGS BEFORE CLASS.

MIDTERM REVIEW QUESTIONS TO BE DISTRIBUTED IN CLASS.

 

Wed. July 2:  Cultural Relativism

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

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

 

Thurs. July 3-Mon. July 7: Subjective or Objective Universality of Rights?

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.

(4) American Anthropological Association (1999) "Declaration on Anthropology and Human Rights" [READER pp. 86-87].

 

Tues. July 8:  Midterm Review

HW #4 DUE IN CLASS ON TUES. JULY 8.  No reading assignment.

Wed. July 9:  Midterm Exam and Begin Women's Rights
MIDTERM EXAM IN FIRST HOUR OF CLASS.

Reading Assignment:  (1) Mary Wollstonecraft, "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman", Text pp. 101-108.

 

Thurs. - Fri., July 10-11:  Women's Rights

TOPIC FOR FINAL PROJECT TO BE APPROVED BY THE END OF CLASS ON FRIDAY JULY 11.

Reading Assignment for Thursday:  (1) Talbott, Chapter 5 [READER Vol. 2, pp. 87-112 (plus endnotes)]]

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

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

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

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

Reading Assignment for Friday:

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

(7) 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 pp. 18-22]

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

 

Mon. July 14:  Feminist Criticisms of Rights

(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".]

 

Tues. July 15:  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.

 

Wed. July 16:  Gay and Lesbian Rights

DRAFT OF FINAL PROJECT POSTED ON PEER REVIEW BY MIDNIGHT ON WEDNESDAY JULY 16.

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.

 

Thursday July 17:  International Enforcement of Human Rights

FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS TO BE DISTRIBUTED IN CLASS ON THURS., JULY 17.

COMMENT ON TWO DRAFT FINAL PROJECTS IN PEER REVIEW BY MIDNIGHT ON THURSDAY JULY 17.

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

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

 

Friday July 18:  Historical Objections to Human Rights

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.

 

Mon. July 21:  More Objections and Conclusion

FINAL PROJECT POSTED TO THE COLLECT IT ELECTRONIC DROPBOX BY MIDNIGHT ON MONDAY, JULY 21.

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

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

 

Tues. July 22:  Final Exam Review

No reading assignment.

 

Wed. July 23:  Final Exam