POLI 205 - Introduction to Human Rights

A survey of the field of human rights, from the local to the international level. The idea of humane treatment will be traced from the ancient societies down to the present “global village.” Perspectives on human rights from a wide variety of academic disciplines will be considered, including cultural expressions and sustainable development. A significant part of the classroom time will be spent on an activity related to community service. Assessment Level(s): ENGL 101 /ENGL 101A , READ 120 . Three hours each week.

3 semester hours

Course Outcomes:
Upon course completion, a student will be able to:

Identify principles of humane treatment that have existed or currently exist in non-Western cultures.
Trace the evolution of human rights in the modern world.
Identify and analyze the challenges to human rights that have appeared in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, by fostering debates over what does and does not constitute a human right.
Describe various contending conceptions of what constitutes just and humane treatment.
Identify basic legal concepts, and understand the scope of international humanitarian law.
Analyze the interrelationships among human rights on the local, national, and global levels.
Identify areas in the world that have critical human rights problems.
Acquire a working knowledge of major governmental and nongovernmental organizations, and be able to identify key online sources of information.
Identify some of the major factors in contemporary international politics that impact on human rights.

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