POL2DDA
THE POLITICS OF INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS
POL2DDA
2017
Credit points: 15
Subject outline
This course poses questions about the origins, the evolution, and the nature of the emerging global human rights order. Are human rights the product of a peculiarly European heritage? What was the relationship between French revolutionary declarations of rights and the ensuing terror? How has the language of rights been used by socialists, feminists, imperialists, anti-slavery campaigners and national liberation movements? How have notions of human rights been influenced by the legacy of the holocaust, the Cold War,decolonisation, the sexual revolution, the war on terror, and the rise of authoritarian great powers? Within a historical framework, the course examines the interplay of ideas, civic activism, politics, and diplomacy. In the process, students will have an opportunity to evaluate the ideas of proponents and critics of universal rights, the different ways that states have responded to human rights, and the new pessimism that surrounds the prospects of human rights.
SchoolSchool of Humanities & Social Sciences
Credit points15
Subject Co-ordinatorRobert Horvath
Available to Study Abroad StudentsYes
Subject year levelYear Level 2 - UG
Exchange StudentsYes
Subject particulars
Subject rules
Prerequisites 15 credit points of any first year Politics or History subject, or subject coordinator's approval
Co-requisitesN/A
Incompatible subjectsN/A
Equivalent subjectsN/A
Special conditionsN/A
Graduate capabilities & intended learning outcomes
01. Construct a logical, well-structured argument that addresses a contested issue
- Activities:
- Argumentative research essay; Take-home exam
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Cultural Literacy)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Study and Learning Skills)
02. Undertake original research using newspaper databases to assemble evidence in support of an argument
- Activities:
- Argumentative research essay
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Study and Learning Skills)
- Discipline -Specific Knowledge and Skills(Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills)
03. Undertake secondary source research to establish the scholarly context and the lines of debate surrounding an important issue
- Activities:
- Bibliographical exercise; argumentative research essay
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Study and Learning Skills)
- Discipline -Specific Knowledge and Skills(Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills)
04. Demonstrate an understanding of how human rights has evolved and how it remains a focus of contention in different cultures and political systems
- Activities:
- Take-home exam
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Cultural Literacy)
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Cultural Literacy)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Discipline -Specific Knowledge and Skills(Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills)
Subject options
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Melbourne, 2017, Semester 1, Day
Overview
Online enrolmentYes
Maximum enrolment sizeN/A
Enrolment information
Subject Instance Co-ordinatorGwenda Tavan
Class requirements
LectureWeek: 10 - 22
One 2.0 hours lecture per week on weekdays during the day from week 10 to week 22 and delivered via face-to-face.
TutorialWeek: 10 - 22
One 1.0 hours tutorial per week on weekdays during the day from week 10 to week 22 and delivered via face-to-face.
Assessments
| Assessment element | Comments | % | ILO* |
|---|---|---|---|
| one 500 word bibliographical exercise | 15 | 03 | |
| one 2,000 word argumentative research essay | 50 | 01, 02, 03 | |
| one 1,500 word take-home exam | In format this will resemble the structure of the argumentative research essay, and students will have the opportunity to employ recommendations given by the examiner for the earlier exercise | 35 | 01, 04 |