5210073: FU_Philosophy of Human Rights (Lecture)

Description

Human rights play a central role in world affairs. As moral, legal, and political norms and standards, human rights are meant to protect individuals' and groups' fundamental rights and freedoms. Yet, human rights are constantly contested not only as a concept, but also as guidelines to address practical issues. Hence, this lecture, "Philosophy of Human Rights", is divided into two main parts:
In the first part, we'll be looking into the following philosophical questions about human rights:
- What are human rights? What are their foundations? How do human rights relate to the individual, society, and world order?
In the second part, we'll be investigating four topics in which the exercise of human rights faces complex challenges:
- Human rights and culture: are human rights "universal"? Can/should human rights comply with specific cultural demands?
- Human rights and freedom of movement: how to understand the right to freedom of movement in the context of immigration debates and the recent Covid-crisis?
- Human rights and business: Should multinational enterprises comply with human rights?
- Human rights and security: in contexts like terrorism, many states chose security at the expenses of freedom and privacy. How to justify such decisions, especially in light of the right to security?
Although this course will focus on the philosophical aspects of human rights, it will also try to shed light on the interconnections between philosophy, law and politics.

Lecture Goals

Participants will be able to:

• Describe and familiarize with important theoretical (philosophical) and practical (legal and political) aspects of human rights.
• Understand the differences and the complementarity between the perspectives on human rights
• Relate the theoretical and practical conceptions of human rights to relevant contemporary debates
• Formulate their personal opinions about human rights.
• Develop critical thinking.

Learning Outcomes

• Acquire knowledge on philosophy in general and on core philosophical issues in particular;
• Familiarize with theories of some major past and contemporary philosophers, mainly in the areas of ethics, aesthetics, and epistemology.
• Understand how philosophical-theoretical insights can be used to address practical and concrete life situations;
• Acquire skills necessary to read and write philosophical works
• Develop critical thinking

Lectures Method

Presentations, reading assignments, discussions and a written examination

Admission Requirements

No prior knowledge on human rights is required. But participants should have a genuine interest in the issue of human rights.

Literature

- Rowan Cruft, et alii, eds., Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015.)
- James Griffin, On Human Rights (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.)
- Charles Beitz, The Idea of Human Rights (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.)
- Christian Tomuschat, Human Rights. Between Idealism and Realism, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.)
- Federico Lenzerini, The Culturalization of Human Rights Law (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.)

Relevant Web-resources and academic articles (particularly for the essay) will be available on Moodle.

Comments

Cross-faculty elective subject:
Notice the special Multi-stage allocation process.