HUMAN RIGHTS: PSc 2367
Michelle Jurkovich
Summer (Session I) 2014
Monroe Hall B36
MW 6:10-8:40pm
Office: Monroe 462
Office Hours: by appointment
mdj@gwu.edu
Course Objective
The purpose of this course is to enable you to think critically about human rights. The
course will explore questions like: What are human rights? Why do states sign, comply,
and/or defect from human rights treaties? Do we think differently now about human rights
than we have in the past? If so, why? Why do some human rights campaigns succeed while
others fail?
This course is designed to be interactive and discussion-based. For this reason, it is
essential that you come to class prepared each week, having completed the required
readings for each class.
Class Policies
Special accommodations: Please see me or email me in the first two weeks of class if you
require any special accommodations due to learning disabilities, religious practices,
physical or medical needs, athletic commitments, or for any other reason.
Academic integrity: I do not tolerate any academic dishonesty. The university’s Academic
Integrity code can be found at: http://www.gwu.edu/~ntegrity/code.html. Ignorance is
not an excuse. Please consult with me if you are in doubt about what constitutes academic
dishonesty.
Late Assignments: Please turn in your assignments on time. Late assignments will be
penalized 1/2 letter grade per day late. Exceptions will be made only in serious
circumstances, and will require documentation of the emergency from a person of
authority.
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Attendance Policy: This is a condensed summer course, and as such each class session is
extremely important. You are permitted one (1) unexcused absence during the term. All
other unexcused absences will result in penalties in your attendance/participation grade.
Documentation must be provided for excused absences.
The Writing Center: The Writing Center is available on campus (at no cost) to help you with
your writing. They provide one-on-one tutoring and are happy to read through drafts of
your work and provide useful feedback. They are located in Gelman Library, Suite 103, and
appointments can be made online. Visit http://www.gwu.edu/~gwriter/.
Readings:
This course has one required text:
Callaway, R.L. & Harrelson-Stephens, J. (Eds.) (2007). Exploring international human rights:
Essential Readings. Lynne Rienner: Boulder, CO.
This text can be purchased in the GW bookstore or online. Alternatively, I have placed a
copy on reserve at the Gelman library.
All other readings will be posted to Blackboard.
Assignments and Grading:
1. Attendance/Participation in class blog: 25% total
a. Attendance in class and active participation (15%)
b. Comments to the class blog (10%): Each week, a new discussion
question will be posted to the class blog, generally related to the weekly
readings. Students are expected to provide an insightful comment by
Tuesday at 5pm each week (each post is worth 2 points). Students may
earn one extra credit point by authoring a weekly blog discussion
paragraph/post. This will be discussed in class. Our class blog is:
http://psc2367.wordpress.com/
2. Reading Quizzes: 10%
a. I will give six “pop” reading quizzes throughout the course and the top
five scores you receive will count for 10% of your grade. These will be
conducted at the beginning of class and cannot be made up if you are
tardy. If one of these quizzes falls on a day that you are absent, you may
drop that score (0) and count the remaining 5.
3. Event Reflection Paper (2 pgs, double spaced) and brief class presentation: 20%.
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We are fortunate to be in Washington DC, where there are many human
rights related lectures, protests, and events taking place each week. For your
event reflection paper you will attend one human rights event of your choice and
write a short, two page (double-spaced) reflection paper tying your experience
to something we have discussed in lecture or read in our readings. Perhaps your
event sheds light on questions raised in class? Or perhaps it contradicts a point
made by one of the authors we read? These would be welcomed discussions in
your paper. Please see me if you have difficulty choosing an event to attend.
These can be lectures by human rights advocates or scholars, protests in DC
around human rights issues, or government debates or NGO events surrounding
a particular human right.
On the day you submit your paper, you will also be asked to give a brief (5-10
minute) presentation to the class where you share what you observed and
learned from the event (which you also will have written in your memo). Please
email me at least 24 hrs before the class in which you plan to give this
presentation so I can reserve time for it.
The last day to present/turn in your paper for this event will be June 16,
2014.
4. Midterm: 15%. Currently scheduled for Monday, June 9.
5. Final Paper (7-10 pages double-spaced): 30% (when including the draft) due
emailed to me by midnight on June 25.
*When submitted, your final paper should be submitted along with an
electronic copy of your peer review draft.
a. Paper draft for peer review (minimum of 5 pages): 5%. Due in the
beginning of class on June 19.
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Bring a hard copy of your paper to class for peer review.
Final grades will be calculated according to the following formula:
A: 93-100
A-: 90-92
B+: 88-89
B: 83-87
B-: 80-82
C+: 78-79
C: 73-77
C-: 70-72
D+: 68-69
D: 63-67
D-: 60-62
F: 0-59
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Topic and Reading Schedule:
Monday, May 19: Intro to Course (no readings)
Wednesday, May 21: History/Origins of Human Rights
Donnelly, J. (2007) Human rights as an issue in world politics. In International Human
Rights (pp. 3-19). Westview Press.
UN Declaration of Human Rights (available on Blackboard)
Foucault, M. (1975) The birth of the prison.
Monday, May 26: Types of Human Rights and Measurement Issues
Callaway & Harrleson-Stepens, Sections 1.2, 1.3, & 1.4. These include excerpts of work by
Henry Shue (“Basic Rights”) and David Beetham (“What future for
economic and social rights?”
Pina, J. (2001). “Going Backwards: Tragic Failure in Fight against Hunger, Says FAO”
InterPress Service.
USDA statement regarding measurement of hunger (on Blackboard)
Landman, T. (2005). Measuring human rights: Practice, principle, policy. Human Rights
Quarterly, 26 (4): 906-931.
Wednesday, May 28: Why do states sign human rights treaties? and The
“international human rights regime”?
Moravcsik, A. (2000). The origins of human rights regimes: Democratic delegation in
postwar Europe: International Organization, 54: 217-252.
Simmons, B. (2009). Mobilizing for human rights: International law in domestic politics.
Cambridge University Press, pp. 57-111.
Goodliffe, J. and Hawkins, D.G. (2006). Explaining commitment: States and the Convention
Against Torture. Journal of Politics, 68 (2): 358-371.
Monday, June 2: How do you get states to comply (Part 1)? Theories of Human
Rights Campaign Success
Keck, M. and Sikkink, K. (1998). Activists beyond borders: Advocacy networks in
international politics. Cornell University Press, pp. 1-38.
Risse, T. & Sikkink, K. (1999). The socialization of international human rights norms into
domestic practices: Introduction. In Thomas Risse, Stephen C. Ropp, and
Kathryn Sikkink’s The Power of Human Rights: International Norms and
Domestic Change.
Cambridge University Press, pp. 1-38.
Kenneth Roth (2004), “Defending economic, social and cultural rights: Practical issues
faced by an international human rights organization,” pp.63-73
Wednesday, June 4: How do you get states to comply (Part 2)?: (And do human rights
treaties really matter?)
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Lebovic, J. and Voeten, E. (2006). The politics of shame: The condemnation of country
human rights practices in the UNCHR. International Studies Quarterly, 50: 861-888.
Hafner-Burton, E. M. (2005) Trading human rights: How Preferential Trade Agreements
influence government repression. International Organization, 59(3): 593-629.
Klotz, A. (1995). Norms reconstituting interests: Global racial equality and U.S. sanctions
against South Africa. International Organization, 49 (3): 451-478.
Monday, June 9: MIDTERM EXAM
Wednesday, June 11: Human Rights in Foreign Policy
Sikkink, K (1993). The power of principled ideas: Human rights policies in the United States
and Western Europe in Ideas and Foreign Policy: Beliefs, Institutions, and
Political Change.
Kennan, G. F. 1985. Morality and Foreign Policy. Foreign Affairs, 205-218.
Carter, J. (2012). Cruel and Unusual Record (op-ed). The New York Times (24 June 2012).
Monday, June 16: Humanitarian Intervention and Responsibility to Protect (R2P)
Power, S. (2001). Bystanders to genocide: Why the United States let the Rwandan tragedy
happen. The Atlantic Monthly, pp.1-31.
Western, J. (2002). Sources of humanitarian intervention: Beliefs, information, and
advocacy in the US Decisions on Somalia and Bosnia. International Security,
26(4):pp. 112-142.
Williams, P. & Bellamy, A. (2005). The responsibility to protect and the crisis in Darfur.
Security Dialogue, 36(1):p. 27-47.
Wednesday, June 18: Human Rights and Terrorism
Callaway & Harrleson-Stepens (Eds.), Sections 9.1-9.4. These include excerpts of work by
Callaway, Harrelson-Stephens, Massimino, Mertus, and Sajjad
Callaway & Harrleson-Stepens (Eds.), Sections 4.3-4.4. These include excerpts of work by
Halliday and Shakir.
Bellamy, A. (2006). No pain no gain? Torture and ethics in the War on Terror. International
Affairs, 82(1): 121-148.
Monday, June 23: When Rights Clash?
Sell, S. and Prakash, A. (2004). Using ideas strategically: The contest between business and
NGO networks in intellectual property rights. International Studies Quarterly, 48(1):
143-175.
Rentein, A.D. (2004, April 23). Environmental rights vs. cultural rights. Human Rights
Dialogue: Carnegie Council.
Erlanger, S. (2009, August 31). Burqa furor scrambles French politics. The New York Times.
Wednesday, June 25: Final Paper Due
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**NOTE: This syllabus is a living document and is subject to change by the instructor at
any point.
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