Date approved by CPC
10/12/10
Date approved by faculty
N/A
TRANSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY COMMITTEE ON PROGRAM AND CURRICULUM
Application for New Course
1. Submitted by (program)
Political Science
2. Course Designation and Catalog Description
a.
3264
prefix/number
Note:
1000-level courses cover a wide range of material, serve as introductions to a discipline, and
are generally appropriate for first-year students
2000-level courses are more specific in focus than 1000-level courses, may require some
previous knowledge, and are generally appropriate for sophomores.
3000-level course are clearly upper-level courses, require significant background, may have
prerequisites and are generally appropriate for juniors and seniors.
4000-level courses require extensive background, usually have prerequisites, and are generally
appropriate for juniors and seniors
Course Numbering Justification:
Provide a concrete rationale for the proposed course number by appealing to the description of
the course numbering system as outlined above
This course requires:
1. Some knowledge available to the student by taking PS 1054, Globalization and Civic
Responsibility.
2. A substantial amount of reading, writing, and discussion.
3. Is a more in-depth study of a particular area within Political Science.
b. i.
Human Rights
Transcript Title (limited to 29 characters/spaces only)
b. ii.
Human Rights
Catalog Title (unlimited characters)
c.
d.
class hours/wk
e.
lab hours/wk
f. Instructor(s):
Dr. Michael Cairo
g. Prerequisites:
PS 1054 or permission by instructor
1.0
units
h. Please provide a course description exactly as it should appear in the catalog. Descriptions must be
less than 75 total words. Descriptions may be returned for editing.
This course examines human rights and humanitarian intervention in world politics. The course aims to:
enhance your understanding of international human rights law at the domestic, regional, and international
levels; investigate human rights violations, implementation and enforcement throughout the world; and
assess different perspectives on human rights, by examining the Western liberal tradition and the challenges
presented to that tradition by non-European cultures. Prerequisite: PS 1054, or permission of instructor.
3. Please attach an outline of the proposed course.
4. Pattern information:
a.
In which patterns will this course be required (major, minor or allied)?
None
b.
In which patterns may it be chosen as an elective?
Major and Minor elective
5. Does any part of this course duplicate material already addressed in existing courses? If so, why is this desirable?
No.
6. How often will this course be offered?
a. Twice a year
b. Fall
Once a year
Winter X
X
May
Alternate years
Summer
7. What methods of instruction will be employed?
Lecture and discussion.
8. Will this course require any facilities, equipment, or personnel not presently available?
If yes, please explain.
No.
9. Will the course require additional library resources (books, journals, online databases)? If yes, please explain.
Perhaps in the future, but not at the present time.
10. What enrollment is expected?
20
Maximum enrollment desired?
15
11. What is the primary reason this course was proposed?
This course expands the department’s offerings. It also reflects the addition of a new faculty member, Dr. Cairo,
who has offered the course in the past and will be offering the course during the Winter Term.
12. Whom should CPC consult for further information regarding the proposed changes?
Dr. Michael Cairo, 233-8599, mcairo@transy.edu
*********************************************************************************************
The following sections must be completed before application is considered by CPC:
_____Michael Cairo___________________
Originated by
_____9/29/10______
Date
Program Director comments: This course provides an important component of contemporary liberal education and
is supported by the program.
_______Don Dugi____________________
Program Director
__9/29/10_________
Date
Division Chair comments:
__Frank Russell_____________________
__10/1/10______
Division Chair
Date
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Division Chair submits form via email to CPC secretary (Michelle Rawlings, mrawlings@transy.edu) and chair
(Mark Jackson, mjackson@transy.edu)
Paste Syllabus here:
Transylvania University
PS 3294. Human Rights
“The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be either good or evil.” –
Hannah Arendt
"The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed." – Stephen Biko
“Commit yourself to the noble struggle for human rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a
greater nation of your country and a finer world to live in." – Martin Luther King, Jr.
“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its
foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” –
Bishop Desmond Tutu
Winter 2011
9:30-10:45 Tuesday/Thursday
HH
Dr. Michael Cairo
HH 108A
859-233-8599 (office)
859-420-2718 (cell)
mcairo@transy.edu
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday
Tuesday, Thursday
OR BY APPOINTMENT
8:30-9:30am
10:45am-12:30pm
Course Description:
This course examines human rights and humanitarian intervention in world politics. The course aims to: enhance
your understanding of international human rights law at the domestic, regional, and international levels; investigate
human rights violations, implementation and enforcement throughout the world; and assess different perspectives on
human rights, by examining the Western liberal tradition and the challenges presented to that tradition by nonEuropean cultures. Prerequisite: PS 1054, or permission of instructor.
Required Materials:
Jacqueline Langwith, Opposing Viewpoints: Human Rights. Greenhaven Press. 2007. ISBN 978-0737737462
Jack Donnelly, International Human Rights. 3rd edition. Westview Press. 2006.
ISBN 978-0-8133-4326-6
Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil. New York. Penguin Classics. 1994.
ISBN 978-0-1401-8765-6
Three additional books not yet decided. Within the syllabus, you will find the options I am considering.
GUISD Cases. Go to www.GUISD.org. Do a search for the Case Number. If the Case Number is 230, search
“230”. Click on the case. You will have the option to buy a hard copy that will be sent to you ($5) or a pdf copy
that you will have access to immediately ($3.50).
Course Requirements:
Examination #1
Examination #2
Book Reviews and Discussions
Research Paper
Final Examination
15%
15%
15%
30%
25%
Attendance Policy: Students will be granted 3 (three) “unexcused” absences. For each unexcused absence after the
third, a student will be deducted 2 percentage points from the final grade in the course. For an absence to be
“excused”, students must present proper documentation (i.e., a doctor’s note). Representation of Transylvania
University at an “off-campus” event will constitute an “excused” absence only if I receive documentation prior to
the event. Any student missing an examination for an “off-campus” event must arrange to take the examination
prior to the event. I will not give make-up examinations for an “off-campus” event after the event has taken place.
In general, students missing an examination and not giving me prior notice will not be able to make the examination
up unless there is a valid excuse (i.e., a medical emergency). Further, any assignments must be turned in prior to the
day they are due if you know that you will be missing class on the due date.
Late Policy: Papers and assignments are considered late if they are not ready to be turned in at the beginning of the
class in which they are due. Late papers and assignments will be deducted 10 points for each day past the due date.
Papers and assignments turned in after class on the due date will be considered one day late. Exceptions to this
policy will only be made on a case-by-case basis. Any request for an exception must be made in writing.
A Note on Extra Credit – Throughout the semester I may choose to offer extra credit. If I do, these will be the
only extra credit opportunities available in the course. You may or may not choose to take advantage of these
options. However, be advised that there will be no individual extra credit offered to “improve” your grade at the end
of the course.
Grading and Assessment:
The following scale will be used in calculating final grades for the course.
A+, 97-100
A, 93.1-96.99
A-, 90-93
B+, 87-89.99
B, 83.1-86.99
C+, 77-79.99
C, 73.1-76.99
B-, 80-83
D+, 67-69.99
D, 63.1-66.99
C-, 70-73
D-, 60-63
Essays on examinations will be graded based on the ability to construct and develop a logical argument, where
applicable, the application of relevant knowledge and materials in its response, and clarity of organization and
writing.
Written assignments will be graded based on thorough coverage and analysis of the readings, clarity and
organization of the writing, proper use of the English language, and proper documentation style using internal,
parenthetical citations. . For further information on the assessment of the paper, see Assessment of and Comments
on Papers at the end of the syllabus.
Book Reviews:
Students will complete three book reviews of 5-7 pages, typed and double-spaced. The book reviews should
respond to the following questions – What rights were being violated? What was the “cause” of the violation of
human rights? How did the individual deal with this violation? What does this say about the protection and
enforcement of human rights violations in the international community? In an effort to go “paperless”, the book
review should be submitted to “Turnitin” on Moodle in a Word document format. It should be submitted prior to the
beginning of class on the day that it will be discussed.
Research Paper:
Goal – This assignment will allow you to present material related to a topic of your own choosing dealing with
human rights. This exercise will also give you some instruction and practice in writing and analysis.
First, students must choose a human rights topic in a specific country or region of the world.
Students will then conduct research on the topic using scholarly and governmental sources.
The final paper must be 12-15 pages in length, typed, and double-spaced.
While writing and researching for the research paper, students will be expected to meet with the professor on at least
three separate occasions. Failure to do so will result in a 5% deduction to the research paper grade.
The professor will discuss the research paper further in class and is always available to assist with the paper during
office hours.
In an effort to go “paperless”, students should submit the paper via “Turnitin” on Moodle as a Word document
attachment. It should be submitted before the beginning of class on the day that it is due.
Course Outline:
Introduction
PART I: FOUNDATIONS
What are Human Rights and Where do they Come From?
Jack Donnelly, “Human Rights as an Issue in World Politics”, in International Human Rights, pp. 3-17
Jack Donnelly, “Theories of Human Rights”, in International Human Rights, pp. 18-35
Jack Donnelly, “Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, in International Human Rights, pp. 165-168
Fiona Boylan, “Human Rights Must be Universal”, in Langwith, Opposing Viewpoints, pp. 22-30
Jieh-Yung Lo, “Human Rights Must be Culturally Relative”, in Langwith, Opposing Viewpoints, pp. 31-35
El Obaid Ahmed El Obaid, “We Should Eliminate the Debate about Universality and Cultural Relativism”, in
Langwith, Opposing Viewpoints, pp. 36-40
Faisal Kutty, “Non-Western Societies have Influenced Human Rights”, in Langwith, Opposing Viewpoints, pp. 4147
Arguments about the State of Human Rights
Asian Pacific Research Network, “Globalization Threatens Human Rights”, in Langwith, Opposing Viewpoints, pp.
54-63
Daniel T. Griswold, “Globalization Promotes Human Rights”, in Langwith, Opposing Viewpoints, pp. 64-71
Azam Kamguian, “Islamic Law Threatens Human Rights”, in Langwith, Opposing Viewpoints, pp. 72-79
Louay M. Safi, “Islamic Law Promotes Human Rights”, in Langwith, Opposing Viewpoints, pp. 80-87
Human Rights in International Law
Jack Donnelly, “The Domestic Politics of Human Rights: The Case of the Southern Cone”, in International Human
Rights, pp. 36-50
Anne Bayefsky, “International Human Rights Treaties are Necessary to Prevent Human Rights Abuses”, in
Langwith, Opposing Viewpoints, pp. 134-139
Jack L. Goldsmith and Eric Posner, “International Human Rights Laws and Treaties have little Impact on Ending
Human Rights Abuses”, in Langwith, Opposing Viewpoints, pp. 140-146
GUISD Case #230: The 'English' Patient: General Augusto Pinochet and International Law
International Humanitarian Law and Intervention
GUISD Case #463: Operation Restore Hope: The Bush Administration's Decision to Intervene in Somalia
International Human Rights in the US Domestic Context
GUISD Case#248: Governor Gilmore and the Execution of Angel Breard: International Law Versus States' Rights
International Implementation, Monitoring, and Enforcement
Jack Donnelly, “The Multilateral Politics of Human Rights”, in International Human Rights, pp. 51-85
Briony MacPhee, “The United States Should be a Part of the International Criminal Court”, in Langwith, Opposing
Viewpoints, pp. 152-164
Brett D. Schaefer, “The United States Should Not be a Part of the International Criminal Court”, in Langwith,
Opposing Viewpoints, pp. 165-176
GUISD Case#258: Establishing an International Criminal Court: The Emergence of a New Global Authority?
PART II: GENOCIDE AND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY
The Holocaust and Its Legacy
Arendt, all
Bosnia
Jack Donnelly, “War and Genocide in the Former Yugoslavia”, in International Human Rights, pp. 136-148
Silvano M. Tomasi, “The United Nations is Necessary to Stop Human Rights Abuses”, in Langwith, Opposing
Viewpoints, pp. 116-123
Joseph Loconte, “The United Nations is Ineffective and Corrupt and Does Not Stop Human Rights Abuses”, in
Langwith, Opposing Viewpoints, pp. 124-133
GUISD Case #241: The Dutch in Srebrenica: A Noble Mission Fails
Darfur
Jack Donnelly, “Human Rights and Foreign Policy”, in International Human Rights, pp. 86-114
The New Republic, “The United States Should Intervene in Darfur”, in Langwith, Opposing Viewpoints, pp. 177184
Justin Raimondo, “The United States Should Not Intervene in Darfur”, in Langwith, Opposing Viewpoints, pp. 185192
Book Review and Discussion #1
Either:
1.
2.
Halima Bashir and Damien Lewis, Tears of the Desert: A Memoir of Survival in Darfur (2008) - Bashir,
a physician and refugee living in London, offers a vivid personal portrait of life in the Darfur region of
Sudan before the catastrophe. Doted on by her father, who bucked tradition to give his daughter an
education, and feisty grandmother, who bequeathed a fierce independence, Bashir grew up in the vibrant
culture of a close-knit Darfur village. (Its darker side emerges in her horrific account of undergoing a
clitoridectomy at age eight.) She anticipated a bright future after medical school, but tensions between
Sudan's Arab-dominated Islamist dictatorship and black African communities like her Zaghawa tribe
finally exploded into conflict. The violence the author recounts is harrowing: the outspoken Bashir endured
brutal gang-rapes by government soldiers, and her village was wiped out by marauding Arab horsemen and
helicopter gunships. This is a vehement cri de coeur—I wanted to fight and kill every Arab, to slaughter
them, to drive them out of the country, the author thought upon treating girls who had been raped and
mutilated—but in showing what she suffered, and lost, Bashir makes it resonate.
Ishmael Beah, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier (2007) - This absorbing account by a young
man who, as a boy of 12, gets swept up in Sierra Leone's civil war goes beyond even the best journalistic
efforts in revealing the life and mind of a child abducted into the horrors of warfare. Beah's harrowing
journey transforms him overnight from a child enthralled by American hip-hop music and dance to an
internal refugee bereft of family, wandering from village to village in a country grown deeply divided by
the indiscriminate atrocities of unruly, sociopathic rebel and army forces. Beah then finds himself in the
army—in a drug-filled life of casual mass slaughter that lasts until he is 15, when he's brought to a
rehabilitation center sponsored by UNICEF and partnering NGOs. The process marks out Beah as a gifted
spokesman for the center's work after his "repatriation" to civilian life in the capital, where he lives with his
family and a distant uncle. When the war finally engulfs the capital, it sends 17-year-old Beah fleeing
again, this time to the U.S., where he now lives.
PART III: CONTEMPORARY HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES
Human Rights and Development
Reserve – Amartya Sen, “Development as Freedom”
GUISD Case #239: Sweating the Swoosh: Nike, the Globalization of Sneakers, and the Question of Sweatshop
Labor
Human Rights and Trade
Jack Donnelly, “Responding to Tiananmen”, in International Human Rights, pp. 115-135
U.S. State Department, “China is Abusing Human Rights”, in Langwith, Opposing Viewpoints, pp. 88-100
Information Office of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, “The United States is Abusing Human
Rights”, in Langwith, Opposing Viewpoints, pp. 101-110
GUISD Case#168: Human Rights and Trade: The Clinton Administration and China
Book Review and Discussion #2
Either:
1.
2.
Mukhtar Mai, In the Name of Honor: A Memoir (2007) - Mai, a 32-year-old Pakistani peasant, was
condemned by her village tribal council in 2002 to be gang-raped. The punishment was provoked by an
accusation that her younger brother, 12 years old, had seduced an older woman. The accusation was untrue,
but it still held the power to destroy the family honor. After her rape by four men, rather than disappear in
humiliation or commit suicide--her first impulse--Mai fought to maintain her dignity and to protect other
women from abusive traditions. She asserted humanity for herself and other women by suing the council
before the supreme court of Pakistan, winning, and using the funds to start a school for girls. In this
amazing collaboration with reporter Cuny, who specializes in covering women's issues and who recorded
hours of conversation, Mai presents a portrait of determination in overcoming low caste status and stifling
tradition.
Souad, Burned Alive: A Survivor of an "Honor Killing" Speaks Out (2005) - When she was 18, her
brother-in-law poured gasoline on her and set her aflame. She was meant to die because she was pregnant
and unmarried, bringing disgrace to her parents. But she survived, and now, 25 years later, "Souad" bears
witness to the horror of "honor crimes" that kill thousands of women every year in many countries across
the world. She begins with a bitter account of what it was like to grow up female in a remote Palestinian
village in the Occupied Territory. "Being born a girl was a curse." Unlike her brother, she never went to
school. Her father beat her daily. She worked as a shepherd, a "consenting slave." She barely glimpsed the
city, where women were free to work and move around. Her rescuer was Jacqueline, a European aid
worker, who was in the Middle East to care for children in distress and who arranged for the badly burned
young woman to be flown to Switzerland, where she and her newborn baby received medical care and
support. Today Souad is "somewhere in Europe," married with three children, her testimony still
anonymous for her protection.
Human Rights and the Environment
Reserve – Ken Saro-Wiwa, “On Environmental Rights of the Ogoni People in Nigeria”
Reserve – Ramachandra Guha, “Radical American Environmentalism and Wilderness Preservation: A Third World
Critique”
GUISD Case#161: Hazardous Waste Trade, North and South: The Case of Italy and Koko, Nigeria
Human Rights and Health
GUISD Case#271: Intellectual Property Rights, Drug Access, and the Doha Round
The Human Rights of Women
Working Group on Ratification of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination Against Women, “The United States Should Ratify the Treaty to Protect Women’s Human
Rights”, in Langwith, Opposing Viewpoints, pp. 218-223
Janice Shaw Crouse, “The United States Should Not Ratify the Treaty to Protect Women’s Human Rights”, in
Langwith, Opposing Viewpoints, pp. 224-230
GUISD Case#295: Sewing or Sex?: Labor Migration in Thailand
Book Review and Discussion #3
Either:
1.
2.
Somaly Mam, The Road of Lost Innocence: As a girl she was sold into sexual slavery, but now she
rescues others. The true story of a Cambodian heroine (2008) - The horror and violence perpetrated on
young girls to feed the sex trade industry in southeast Asia is personalized in this graphic story. Of mixed
race, Khmer and Phnong, Mam is living on her own in the forest in northern Cambodia around 1980 when
a 55-year-old stranger claims he will take her to her missing family. Grandfather beats and abuses the nineyear-old Mam and sells her virginity to a Chinese merchant to cover a gambling debt. She is subsequently
sold into a brothel in Phnom Penh, and the daily suffering and humiliation she endures is almost impossible
to imagine or absorb (I was dead. I had no affection for anyone). She recounts recalcitrant girls being
tortured and killed, and police collusion and government involvement in the sex trade; she manages to
break the cycle only when she discovers the advantages of ferengi (foreign) clients and eventually marries a
Frenchman. She comes back to Cambodia from France, now unafraid, and with her husband, Pierre; sets up
a charity, AFESIP, action for women in distressing circumstances; and fearlessly devotes herself to helping
prostitutes and exploited children. The statistics are shocking: one in every 40 Cambodian girls (some as
young as five) will be sold into sex slavery. Mam brings to the fore the AIDS crisis, the belief that sex with
a virgin will cure the disease and the Khmer tradition of women's obedience and servitude.
Zana Muhsen, Sold: One Woman's True Account of Modern Slavery (1994) - Zana Muhsen, born and
bred in Birmingham, is of Yemeni origin. When her father told her she was to spend a holiday with
relatives in North Yemen, she jumped at the chance. Aged 15 and 13 respectively, Zana and her sister
discovered that they had been literally sold into marriage, and that on their arrival they were virtually
prisoners. They had to adapt to a completely alien way of life, with no running water, dung-plastered walls,
frequent beatings, and the ordeal of childbirth on bare floors with only old women in attendance. After 8
years of misery and humiliation, Zana succeeded in escaping, but her sister is still there, and it seems likely
that she will now never leave the country where she has spent more than half her life.
Human Rights and the Response to Terrorism
Jimmy Carter, “The United States Should Not Practice Torture Even to Win the War on Terror”, in Langwith,
Opposing Viewpoints, pp. 193-205
Charles Krauthammer, “The United States Should Practice Torture Under Some Circumstances”, in Langwith,
Opposing Viewpoints, pp. 206-217
Steven R. Ratner, “Geneva Conventions”, Foreign Policy (March/April 2008): 26-32.
GUISD Case#245: Tiltulim: Interrogation by Shaking in Israel
Conclusions
Jack Donnelly, “International Human Rights in a Post-Cold War World”, in International Human Rights, pp. 149164