SCHC 333 H03 29712

SocBehavSci, NotCore

Notes:

**This course is open to all Honors students and is appropriate for freshmen through seniors.  Course is a survey of international law/human rights and no prior knowledge of the subject matter is required.**What do the following events have in common: A military regime denying free speech and the right of assembly; poor and minority communities showing sickness due to a lack of health care; refugees fleeing gang violence and civil war; members of the LGBTQ community being persecuted for demanding the right to marriage and equality; and human trafficking of women and children for sexual exploitation? We cannot discuss these issues without invoking human rights. This course will explore the nature, scope, and sources of International Law. We will focus on the general principles of international human rights law, the functioning of the universal human rights system (United Nations) and the three existing regional human rights systems (Inter-American, European, and African), their jurisdictions in principle and in practice. Then, we will explore a selected group of rights, including the right to life; not to be tortured or subjected to other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; and economic, social and cultural rights. Finally, we will explore the issues of limitations and derogations of rights; challenges of monitoring and enforcement; as well as case studies of internationally protected rights in the context of the counterterrorist policies implemented by the United States and other countries.