Sociology of Human Rights
Assessed Essay Questions
Autumn Term 2009
List One
1.
Question to be determined in consultation between the course convenor or tutor and the student. Your title must be discussed with and approved by me or
Rodrigo Cordero or Josh Lowe.
2.
The sociology of human rights is an emergent field of sociology. Discuss what brought it into being and what obstacles lie in the path of its development.
3.
‘We must analyze concrete systems of punishment as social phenomena that cannot be accounted for by the juridical structure of society alone or by its ethical choices’ (Foucault,
Discipline and Punish ). Is this sceptical view of penal reform justified?
4.
‘The rights of man brought an end to torture’ (adapted from Lynn Hunt).
Explore the limits of this suggestion.
5.
‘Compassion and awareness of human frailty lie at the basis of modern conceptions of human rights’. Discuss in relation to the work of Lynn Hunt and/or Bryan Turner.
6.
Did the declaration of the rights of man live up to its promise? If not, why not?
7.
Critically assess the proposition that the rights of man were built upon multiple exclusions but also provided the resources required to address these exclusions.
8.
Kant’s cosmopolitan approach to the rights of man was an attempt to remedy their national limitations. Discuss.
9.
The decline of the rights of man had much to do with the decline of the nation state. Discuss in relation to the work of Hannah Arendt.
10.
Is it legitimate to speak of a ‘human rights revolution’ since 1945?
11.
The human rights revolution after the Second World War was kick-started by the prosecution of Nazis for crimes against humanity. Discuss.
12.
Does contemporary cosmopolitan thinking in the social sciences idealise human rights beyond their actual worth?
13.
What are the problems in justifying military intervention in human rights terms?

Spring Term 2010
List Two
1.
Compare and contrast the approach to understanding Marx’s theory of rights adopted by Pashukanis and Thompson.
2.
What does Marxist theory contribute to our understanding of the relation between human rights and capitalism?
3.
In what sense, if any, is the idea of human rights ‘Western’?
4.
The rule of law is a necessary bulwark against authoritarian government.
Discuss.
5.
International humanitarian and human rights laws play a radically enhanced role in contemporary society. Is this true and, if so, why has this development occurred?
6.
Is there any good reason to be against human rights?
7.
Is there a crisis of human rights?
8.
The effect of a regime of human rights is to dehumanise those deemed to violate human rights. Discuss.
9.
Question to be determined in consultation between the course convenor or tutor and the student.