New Frontiers in Human Rights

Inhalte

Students wishing to take this course should have basic knowledge of international human rights, including the United Nations human rights system with its institutions and human rights treaties, as well as regional human rights mechanisms.

Early on in this seminar, students will become familiar with different theoretical lenses that will help them understand how and why the content of human rights norms can change over time. For the remainder of the course, students will examine emerging frontiers that relate to international human rights and try to apply the theoretical lenses in order to explain change. Part II of the course will introduce students to new developments that push the boundaries of who are norm-addressees under human rights law, e.g., better human rights protection for people with disabilities. In Part III, students will see how the content of human rights norms is changing with the emergence of NGOs and companies as actors in norm-setting. Part IV will demonstrate how new frontiers may be encountered when different policy fields intersect with the field of human rights, such as challenges to human rights protection under policies of fiscal austerity. Finally, in Part V students will learn how state borders can quite literally become “new frontiers” in human rights protection, such as is the case with extraterritorial obligations. This course will demonstrate to students that the field of international human rights in itself is a new frontier in international politics.

Studiengänge

Master Politikwissenschaft

Master Verwaltungswissenschaft

Master Internationale Beziehungen

Master of Public Managment (Spezialisierung: Global Public Policy)