HUMAN RIGHTS IN HISTORY
HISTORY/PEACE STUDIES 3XX3
Department of History, McMaster University, Winter 2013
Dr. Harish C. Mehta
Office location: Chester New Hall, Room 401, 4th floor
Office Hours: Mondays 12-1 pm
Email: mehtah2@univmail.cis.mcmaster.ca
Lectures: Mon 1.30 pm-2.20 pm; and Wed 12.30 pm-2.20 pm, Hamilton Hall/104
Course Description
The concept of human rights has evolved—and is still evolving—alongside the
concepts of ethics, justice, and punishment. In this course, we will encounter both the
oppressors and the oppressed, and discover how the oppressed resisted power and how
they got their “voice.” There will be special focus on the rights of the minorities and
women, and the frequent occurrence of genocide.
We will investigate several questions revolving around human rights: (a) How
human rights originated: we will see how the great world religions had attempted to
safeguard human rights (b) Are human rights a Western concept? (c) Did
Socialism/Communism contribute anything to liberalism (d) Is the war on terror and
rising tide of nationalism undermining human rights? (e) Is the juggernaut of
globalization promoting or hindering human rights?
In this journey through a patterned past, we will encounter historical moments
when human rights were both attacked, protected, and neglected.
Conversation with Novelist Vaddey Ratner
We will read the Cambodian novelist Vaddey Ratner’s bestselling novel, In the
Shadow of the Banyan, on the Cambodian genocide. The author of this novel of world
literature, Ms. Ratner has kindly offered to “visit” our class through a special Skype
conversation: we will have the opportunity to discuss the novel, and current human rights
issues with the author.
Learning Objectives
To familiarize students not just with the key events, policies, and ideologies in the
history of human rights, but also with historical documents, and scholarly debates on key
issues, outlined above. Class discussions are designed to enable students to read original
documents and scholarly articles, and use them in their written assignments. At the end of
the course, students will have excellent understanding of the history of human rights.
Required Books
1. Micheline R. Ishay, The History of Human Rights: From Ancient Times to the
Globalization Era, 2008, University of California Press. ISBN: 978-0-520-256415.
2. Micheline R. Ishay, The Human Rights Reader, Major Political Essays, Speeches,
and Documents from Ancient Times to the Present, Second Edition, 2007,
Routledge. ISBN: 978-0-415-95160-9.
1|Page
3. Vaddey Ratner, In the Shadow of the Banyan, Simon and Schuster, ISBN-13:
9781451657708.
Book Review, Research Essay, Tutorial Participation, and Final Examination
• 1,300-word Book Review of Vaddey Ratner’s novel.
• Two-page research essay proposal.
• 2,500-word Research Essay based on historical documents, academic books, and
journal articles. Do not exceed (or fall short of) the word limit. Essays must be in
12-point, Times Roman type, and double-spaced.
Note: A 2% per day penalty will apply to late essays. Weekends count as one day.
• Tutorial discussions will be based on documents and essays in The Human Rights
Reader, and on selected journal articles.
• Final examination.
1.
2.
a.
b.
3.
4.
Book Review
Research Essay:
Research Essay Proposal
Research Essay
Tutorial Participation
Final Exam
Grading
Due on 13 February
Due on 27 February
Due on 27 March
20%
2%
28%
20%
30%
Tutorial Participation
1. Students must sign up on the course webpage on Avenue, for one of the two
Tutorial Groups, Group 1 or Group 2. Sign-up will open on 7 January at 5 pm.
Group 1 capacity is 32 students, and Group 2 capacity is 33 students.
2. Attendance is necessary.
3. Participation is based on self-evaluation. Each student will be given a
“Participation Evaluation Form,” on which they will evaluate their performance in
each tutorial and give themselves a mark out of 10. Students will write a sentence
or two on what they contributed. At the end of the tutorial, students will return
their evaluation forms to the TA, who will assign a countermark. Discussions will
be based on documents and articles in the Documentary Reader.
4.
Rules and Regulations
1. Academic Integrity
You are expected to exhibit honesty and use ethical behaviour in all aspects of the
learning process. Academic credentials you earn are rooted in principles of honesty and
academic integrity. Academic dishonesty is to knowingly act or fail to act in a way that
results, or could result in unearned academic credit or advantage. This behaviour can
result in serious consequences, e.g. the grade of zero on an assignment, loss of credit with
a notation on the transcript (notation reads: “Grade of F assigned for academic
dishonesty”), and/or suspension or expulsion from the university. It is your responsibility
to understand what constitutes academic dishonesty. For information on the various types
of academic dishonesty please refer to the Academic Integrity Policy, located at
http://www.mcmaster.ca/academicintegrity
2|Page
The following illustrates only three forms of academic dishonesty:
1. Plagiarism, e.g. the submission of work that is not one’s own or for which other
credit has been obtained.
2. Improper collaboration in group work.
3. Copying or using unauthorized aids in tests and examinations.
2. Email Communication
It is the policy of the Faculty of Humanities that all email communication sent from
students to instructors (including TAs), and from students to staff, must originate from
the student’s own McMaster University email account. This policy protects
confidentiality and confirms the identity of the student. Instructors will delete emails that
do not originate from a McMaster email account.
3. Avenue to Learn
In this course we will be using Avenue to Learn. Students should be aware that, when
they access the electronic components of this course, private information such as first and
last names, user names for the McMaster e-mail accounts, and program affiliation may
become apparent to all other students in the same course. The available information is
dependent on the technology used. Continuation in this course will be deemed consent to
this disclosure. If you have any questions or concerns about such disclosure please
discuss this with the course instructor.
4. Modifications to Course Outline
The instructor and university reserve the right to modify elements of the course during
the term. The university may change the dates and deadlines for any or all courses in
extreme circumstances. If either type of modification becomes necessary, reasonable
notice and communication with the students will be given with explanation and the
opportunity to comment on changes. It is the responsibility of the student to check their
McMaster email and course websites weekly during the term and to note any changes.
5. Extensions or Accommodations
Extensions or other accommodations will be determined by the instructor and will only
be considered if supported by appropriate documentation. Absences of less than 5 days
may be reported using the McMaster Student Absence Form (MSAF) at
www.mcmaster.ca/msaf/ . If you are unable to use the MSAF, you should document the
absence with your faculty office. In all cases, it is YOUR responsibility to follow up with
the instructor immediately to see if an extension or other accommodation will be granted,
and what form it will take. There are NO automatic extensions or accommodations.
Guide to the Writing Assignments
For writing and formatting style, use the Chicago Manual of Style. Visit the website at:
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html Make sure that you use
proper citation style for footnotes and bibliography (each has a different style). Both
footnotes and bibliography are required.
3|Page
The essays must be in 12 point type, Times Roman, double-spaced, and submitted in
paper copy in class on the due date. Detailed explanation on how to write history essays
will be posted on Avenue, and will also be explained in class.
Research Essay
Create your own topic for the research essay. Submit a two-page essay proposal
consisting of an essay topic, title, tentative abstract, and list of sources on the due date.
Make sure that the essay explores a specific historical topic, located within a specific
country, within a specific time period.
A minimum of EIGHT sources must be used in the essay. You must use at least ONE
each of the following sources -- document, journal article, and a scholarly book. (You are
welcome to use more than eight sources if you wish). You may use the two textbooks, but
these two sources do not count among the required books and journal articles.
CLASS AND TUTORIAL SCHEDULE
The two textbooks are The History of Human Rights (HHR), and The Human Rights
Reader (HRR).
7 JANUARY (Mon)
Introduction to the Course:
LECTURE: Defining Human Rights
Background Reading: HHR, 1-14
9 JANUARY (Wed)
LECTURE: 1. Early Ethical Contributions to Human Rights
2. Introduction to Theories & Sources
3. Setting up Presentation Groups
Background Reading: HHR, 15-35
14 JANUARY (Mon)
LECTURE: The Komagata Maru: Confronting Canada’s Vexed Immigrant History
Background Reading: HHR, 35-61
16 JANUARY (Wed)
LECTURE: Using Sports to Confront Apartheid in South Africa
TUTORIALS BEGIN TODAY
GROUP 1 TUTORIAL READINGS:
(1) HRR, Chapter 1
(2) “Reconciling with History: The Chinese-Canadian Head Tax Redress,” Peter Li,
Journal of Chinese Overseas (May 2008), 4 (1), pg. 127-140.
URL:
http://muse.jhu.edu.libaccess.lib.mcmaster.ca/journals/journal_of_chinese_overse
as/v004/4.1.li.html
4|Page
21 JANUARY (Mon)
LECTURE: Human Rights and the Enlightenment
Background Reading: HHR, 63-84
23 JANUARY (Wed)
LECTURE: Debate over the Rape of Nanjing
GROUP 2 TUTORIAL READINGS:
(1) HRR, Chapter 2
(2) “Memories of Internment: Narrating Japanese Canadian Women's Life Stories,”
Pamela H. Sugiman, The Canadian Journal of Sociology, Volume 29, Number 3,
Summer 2004, pp. 359-388.
http://muse.jhu.edu.libaccess.lib.mcmaster.ca/journals/canadian_journal_of_socio
logy/v029/29.3sugiman.html
28 JANUARY (Mon)
LECTURE: Genocide in Australia
Background Reading: HHR, 84-116
30 JANUARY (Wed)
LECTURE: War Crimes Tribunals: Judicial Romanticism or Political Realism
GROUP 1 TUTORIAL READINGS:
(1) HRR, Chapter 4
(2) “A Head for an Eye: Revenge in the Cambodian Genocide,” Alexander Laban
Hinton, American Ethnologist, Vol. 25, No. 3 (Aug., 1998), pp. 352-377
URL:
http://www.jstor.org.libaccess.lib.mcmaster.ca/stable/pdfplus/645789.pdf
4 FEBRUARY (Mon)
LECTURE: The Cambodian Genocide
Background Reading: HHR, 117-135
6 FEBRUARY (Wed)
LECTURE: Lynching, and the Subculture of Violence in the American South
GROUP 2 TUTORIAL READINGS:
(1) HRR Chapter 5
(2) “Islamic Conversion Narratives of Women: Social Change and Gendered
Religious Hierarchy in Early Modern Ottoman Istanbul,” Marc Baer, Gender &
History, Volume 16, Issue 2, pages 425–458, August 2004.
URL:
http://journals1.scholarsportal.info.libaccess.lib.mcmaster.ca/tmp/4719925882311
300014.pdf
11 FEBRUARY (Mon)
LECTURE: Human Rights and the Industrial Age
Background Reading: HHR, 135-172
5|Page
13 FEBRUARY (Wed)
LECTURE: Dalit Rights are Human Rights
GROUP 1 TUTORIAL READINGS:
(1) HRR Chapter 7
(2) “Regulating Conflict: Historical Legacies and State Commitment to the Laws of
War,” Geoffrey Wallace, Foreign Policy Analysis, Volume 8, Issue 2, pages 151–
172, April 2012.
URL:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.libaccess.lib.mcmaster.ca/doi/10.1111/j.17438594.2011.00151.x/pdf
BOOK REVIEWS DUE IN CLASS TODAY
MIDTERM BREAK
Monday, February 18 to Saturday, February 23
25 FEBRUARY (Mon)
LECTURE: Are Women “Human”? Activism for Acceptance of Women’s Rights as
Human Rights
Background Reading: HHR, 174-211
27 FEBRUARY (Wed)
LECTURE: Orwellian Reflections on Racism in British Burma
GROUP 2 TUTORIAL READINGS:
(1) HRR, Chapter 9
(2) “Historical Injustice and International Law: An Exploratory Discussion of
Reparation for Slavery,” Max Du Plessis, Human Rights Quarterly, Volume 25,
Number 3, August 2003, pp. 624-659.
URL:
http://www.jstor.org.libaccess.lib.mcmaster.ca/stable/pdfplus/20069681.pdf?acce
ptTC=true
RESEARCH ESSAY PROPOSALS DUE IN CLASS TODAY
4 MARCH (Mon)
LECTURE: The World Wars and Institutionalization of International Rights
Background Reading: HHR, 211-243
6 MARCH (Wed)
Dialogue with Novelist Vaddey Ratner on Skype
Recording of Vaddey Ratner`s Speech to the UN Association in New York
Discussion on the Cambodian Holocaust
11 MARCH (Mon)
LECTURE: Soviet Manmade Famine in the Ukraine
Background reading: HHR, 246-279
6|Page
13 MARCH (Wed)
LECTURE: American Indian Executions in Historical Perspective
GROUP 1 TUTORIAL READINGS:
(1) HRR, Chapter 10
(2) “Cartoon Violence and Freedom of Expression,” David Keane, Human Rights
Quarterly, Volume 30, Number 4, November 2008, pp. 845-875
URL:
http://search.proquest.com.libaccess.lib.mcmaster.ca/docview/204635513/fulltext
PDF?accountid=12347
18 MARCH (Mon)
LECTURE: Globalization and Human Rights
Background reading: HHR, 279-311
20 MARCH (Wed)
LECTURE: Damming Rights: The Narmada Dam Conflict
GROUP 2 TUTORIAL READINGS:
(1) HRR, Chapter 11
Korean “Comfort Women”: The Intersection of Colonial Power, Gender, and
Class, Pyong Min, Gender & Society (December 2003), 17 (6), pg. 938-957.
URL:
http://www.jstor.org.libaccess.lib.mcmaster.ca/stable/3594678?&Search=yes&sea
rchText=min&searchText=pyong&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicS
earch%3FQuery%3Dpyong%2Bmin%26filter%3Djid%253A10.2307%252Fj100
796%26Search%3DSearch%26wc%3Don%26fc%3Doff%26globalSearch%3D%
26sbbBox%3D%26sbjBox%3D%26sbpBox%3D&prevSearch=&item=1&ttl=11
&returnArticleService=showFullText
25 MARCH (Mon)
LECTURE: The Laws of War and Human Rights
Background Reading: HHR, 316-335
27 MARCH (Wed)
LECTURE: Chinese Communist “Collectivization” of Women’s Bodies
GROUP 1 TUTORIAL READINGS:
(1) HRR, Chapter 12
(2) “North Vietnam’s Informal Diplomacy with Bertrand Russell: Peace Activism
and the International War Crimes Tribunal,” Harish C. Mehta, Peace & Change,
Volume 37, Issue 1, pages 64–94, January 2012.
URL:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.libaccess.lib.mcmaster.ca/doi/10.1111/j.14680130.2011.00732.x/pdf
RESEARCH ESSAY DUE IN CLASS TODAY
7|Page
1 APRIL (Mon)
LECTURE: Promoting Human Rights in the 21st Century
Background Readings: HHR, 335-355
3 APRIL (Wed)
LECTURE: The Postcolonial State and its Patchy Human Rights Record
GROUP 2 TUTORIAL READINGS: HRR, Chapter 14
(1) “The Dilemma of Double Standards in U.S. Human Rights Policy,” Scott Turner,
Peace & Change, Volume 28, Issue 4, pages 524–554, October 2003.
URL:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.libaccess.lib.mcmaster.ca/doi/10.1111/14680130.00274/pdf
8 APRIL (Mon)
LECTURE: The Historical Novel and Human Rights
10 APRIL (Wed)
LECTURE: A Brief History of the Future of Human Rights
FINAL EXAM
Date to be announced
8|Page