Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne
Political Science Y200/401
Fall 2009
Professor James Toole Class Times: WF 12-1:15
Office: CM 215 Class Location: CM 210
Telephone: (260) 481-6885 Office Hours: M11-12, W 1:30-3:30
Email: toolej@ipfw.edu Webpage: http://users.ipfw.edu/toolej/
Course Description:
During the past half-century, human rights concerns have come to be recognized as important by many people, countries, and international organizations. This course examines both the violation and the protection of human rights around the world. It considers the historical, philosophical, and legal underpinnings of contemporary international human rights norms; evaluates debates over the definition and interpretation of human rights; and examines how political actors and institutions commit and respond to violations of human rights. The course includes detailed study of human rights abuses in Rwanda and former Yugoslavia and of the role of human rights in U.S. foreign policy. When taken as either Y200 or Y401, this course counts toward completion of IPFW’s International Studies Certificate. When taken as Y401, it also provides General Education credit in Area VI (Inquiry and Analysis).
Course Objectives:
By the end of the semester, students who work hard in this class will be better able to: (1) understand various points of view concerning the protection and promotion of human rights in today’s world; (2) understand how political actors instigate, commit, prevent, or punish human rights abuses; (3) think critically and solve problems using knowledge and skills gained in this and previous courses; and (4) apply the knowledge gained in the course across interdisciplinary boundaries. Because students in Y401 will also write a research paper, each Y401 student who works hard should also end up gaining added insight into one pressing human rights issue. The research paper should strengthen the ability of Y401 students to gather, evaluate, select, organize, and synthesize analytical material.
Course Requirements:
Students are enrolled in the class as members of either POLS Y200 or Y401. The list of required readings is exactly the same for both sections, and both sections meet as a single class. The only differences between Y200 and Y401 concern the graded assignments and the grading systems.
Students enrolled in Y200 will take three in-class examinations (two mid-terms and one comprehensive final) and will write one five-page paper based on the course readings. All exams are blue-book exams. Each of these four assignments will be worth 25% of the final grade. My evaluation of class attendance, participation, and performance may affect the final grade in very close cases. All assignments must be completed in order to receive a passing grade in the course.
Students enrolled in Y401 will take the same three examinations and will write a fifteen- to twenty-page research paper on a contemporary human rights topic. The research paper topic must be approved by me by the deadline stated in the course schedule. For students in Y401, grades will be determined as follows: the three exams will be worth 22% each of the final grade, while the research paper will be worth 34% of the final grade. My evaluation of class attendance, participation, and performance may affect the final grade in very close cases. All assignments must be completed in order to receive a passing grade in the course.
Classes will feature both lectures and class discussions. Students should make every effort to participate in class discussions and to ask questions about things they do not understand. Examinations must be taken on the scheduled dates; make-up examinations will only be permitted at the discretion of the instructor and will be granted only in unusual circumstances. Late papers will be subject to significant penalties, to be described in written paper instructions to be handed out in class. Plagiarism will be considered a very serious offence and will be punished as severely as IPFW regulations allow. Students are encouraged to take advantage of free individual paper-writing consultations offered by the IPFW Writing Center. The center is located in Kettler G19.
Students should not expect to do well in the class unless they attend all scheduled classes. They are also expected to complete all listed readings before the start of each class, since failure to do so will greatly impair their ability to understand class lectures and to participate intelligently in class discussions.
The readings in the course come from two sources: books and library reserve. Many readings are from two books. Both are required for purchase and are available at the university bookstore:
Michael Haas, International Human Rights: A Comprehensive Introduction, Routledge, 2008.
Samantha Power, A Problem from Hell, Harper Collins Perennial, 2007.
Readings from library reserve are available electronically through the Helmke Library’s Reserves Express system. To access Reserves Express, visit the Library’s webpage (http://www.lib.ipfw.edu). Students will be held responsible for all assigned readings whether they come from purchased books or from Reserves Express. All readings on the syllabus are required.
If you have a disability and need assistance, special arrangements can be made to accommodate most needs. Contact the Director of Services for Students with Disabilities (Walb, room 113, telephone number 481-6658), as soon as possible to work out the details. Once the Director has provided you with a letter attesting to your needs for modification, bring the letter to me. For more information, please visit the web site for SSD at http://www.ipfw.edu/ssd/.
Course Schedule and Required Readings:
|
Date |
Topic |
Readings |
|
8/26 |
Course Overview |
None |
|
8/28 |
The Philosophical Basis of Human Rights |
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (RESERVE); Haas, chs. 1 and 2 |
|
9/2 |
International Human Rights Past and Present |
Haas, chs. 3 and 4 |
|
9/4 |
Theories of International Politics
|
Jack Snyder, “One World, Rival Theories” (RESERVE) |
|
9/9 |
Civil and Political Rights |
Haas, ch. 5 |
|
9/11 |
Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights |
Haas, ch. 6 |
|
9/16 |
War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity |
Haas, ch. 7; Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, Articles 5-10 only (RESERVE) |
|
9/18 |
Genocide |
Power, preface and chs. 4, 5, and 7 |
|
Wednesday September 23: Research paper topic due (Y401)
|
||
|
9/23 |
Research on Human Rights |
Haas, ch. 8 |
|
9/25 |
Library Instruction Class for Y401 (In Helmke Library Room 440a) |
None |
|
9/30 |
First Mid-term Exam
|
None |
|
10/2 |
Rwanda
|
Power, ch. 10 |
|
10/7 |
Philip Gourevitch, “The Life After” (RESERVE) |
|
|
10/9 |
Gérard Prunier, “Rwanda’s Mixed Season of Hope” (RESERVE) |
|
|
10/14 |
The United Nations and Human Rights |
Haas, chs. 9 and 10 |
|
10/16 |
International Intervention |
A.P.V. Rogers, “Humanitarian Intervention and International Law” (RESERVE); Gareth Evans, “The Solution: From ‘The Right to Intervene’ to ‘The Responsibility to Protect’” (RESERVE) |
|
10/21 |
||
|
10/23 |
Yugoslavia |
Power, chs. 9, 11, and 12 |
|
10/28 |
||
|
10/30 |
US Approaches to Human Rights |
Haas, ch. 11 |
|
11/4 |
Second Mid-term Exam
|
None |
|
11/6 |
Torture and the War on Terror |
Convention on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Preamble and Articles 1-4 only (RESERVE); Charles Krauthammer, “The Truth about Torture” (RESERVE); Andrew Sullivan, “The Abolition of Torture” (RESERVE) |
|
11/11 |
European Approaches to Human Rights |
Haas, ch. 12 |
|
11/13 |
Third World Approaches to Human Rights |
Haas, ch. 13; Thomas M. Franck, “Are Human Rights Universal?” (RESERVE) |
|
11/18 |
Human Rights and NGOs |
Daniel Bell and Joseph H. Carens, “The Ethical Dilemmas of International Human Rights and Humanitarian NGOs” (RESERVE); Katarina Mansson, “Cooperation in Human Rights: Experience from the Peace Operation in Kosovo” (RESERVE) |
|
Friday November 20: Paper due (Y200)
|
||
|
11/20 |
Post-Transitional Justice |
Power, ch. 13; Paul Van Zyl, “Dilemmas of Transitional Justice” (RESERVE) |
|
12/2 |
The International Criminal Court |
Rome Statue of the International Criminal Court, Preamble, Articles 1-4 and 11-14 only (RESERVE); Dr. Ray Murphy, “International Criminal Accountability and the International Criminal Court” (RESERVE) |
|
12/4 |
New Generations of Rights |
Haas, ch. 14 |
|
Wednesday December 9: Research paper due (Y401)
|
||
|
12/9 |
International Human Rights Reconsidered |
Power, ch. 14 |
|
12/11 |
No class (Reading
Period) |
|
|
Monday December 14 (10:30-12:30 AM): Final Exam (Y200 and Y401)
|
||