Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne
Political Science Y200/401
Spring 2007
Professor James Toole Class Times: WF 12-1:15
Office: CM 215 Class Location: CM 112
Telephone: (260)
481-6885 Office Hours: M 11-11:50
and MW
Email: toolej@ipfw.edu 1:30-2:30,
or by appointment
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 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 two in-class examinations (one mid-term and one comprehensive final) and will write two five-page papers 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 two examinations and will write the same early-semester five-page paper as Y200 students. Y401 students will also write a fifteen- to twenty-page research paper on a contemporary human rights issue. Research paper topics must be selected in consultation with me, and topics, outlines, and preliminary bibliographies must be turned in by the deadlines stated in the course schedule. For students in Y401, grades will be determined as follows: the two exams and the five-page paper 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 three sources: books, library reserve, and the Internet. Many readings are from three books. All are required for purchase and are available at the university bookstore:
Jack Donnelly, Universal Human Rights (2nd ed.), Cornell, 2003.
Julie A. Mertus, Bait and Switch: Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy, Routledge,
2004.
Samantha Power, A Problem from Hell, Harper Collins Perennial, 2003.
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). Readings from the Internet are available through my webpage (go to http://users.ipfw.edu/toolej/Y200readings.htm). Students will be held responsible for all assigned readings, whether they come from purchased books, from Reserves Express, or from the Internet. 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 |
|
1/10 |
Course Overview |
None |
|
1/12 |
An Introduction to International Human Rights |
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (INTERNET); Mertus, pp. 1-7; Power, preface and chs. 1 and 2 |
|
1/17 |
International Human Rights Past and Present |
Donnelly, chs. 4, 5, and 8 |
|
1/19 |
Human Rights in International Politics: Theories
|
Jack Snyder, “One World, Rival Theories” (RESERVE); Mertus, pp. 7-17; additional reading to be announced |
|
1/24 |
||
|
1/26 |
Fundamental Debates: Universality and Conditionality |
Thomas M. Franck, “Are Human Rights Universal?” (RESERVE); Michael Ignatieff, “Human Rights, the Laws of War, and Terrorism” (RESERVE) |
|
1/31 |
War Crimes |
Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, Articles 5-10 only (INTERNET); Francois Bugnion, “The Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949” (RESERVE) |
|
2/2 |
Genocide |
Power, chs. 3, 4, and 5; Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (INTERNET) |
|
Wednesday February 7: Research paper topic due (Y401)
|
||
|
2/7 |
Rwanda: Film |
Power, ch. 10 |
|
2/9 |
Rwanda: Discussion |
|
|
Wednesday February 14: First paper due in class (Y200 and Y401)
|
||
|
2/14 |
Human Rights and the UN |
Charter of the United Nations, Chapter VII only (INTERNET); Joanna Weschler, “Human Rights” (RESERVE) |
|
2/16 |
Library Instruction for Y401 (class held in Helmke Library in a room to be announced) |
None |
|
2/21 |
International Intervention
|
Donnelly, ch. 14; Michael J. Glennon, “The New Interventionism” (RESERVE); David Rieff, “Humanitarianism in Crisis?” (RESERVE); James Dobbins et al, “Eastern Slavonia” (RESERVE) |
|
2/23 |
||
|
Wednesday February 28: Preliminary outline and annotated bibliography due (Y401)
|
||
|
2/28 |
Former Yugoslavia (1) |
Power, chs. 9, 11, and 12 (for today and 3/16) |
|
3/2 |
No Class |
None |
|
3/14 |
Mid-term exam |
None |
|
3/16 |
Former Yugoslavia (2) |
Finish the reading from 2/28 |
|
3/21 |
Human Rights and the US |
Mertus, chs. 2-5 |
|
3/23 |
||
|
3/28 |
Torture, War Crimes, and the War on Terror |
Convention on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Preamble and Articles 1-4 only (INTERNET); Charles Krauthammer, “The Truth about Torture” (RESERVE); Andrew Sullivan, “The Abolition of Torture” (RESERVE) |
|
3/30 |
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) |
|
4/4 |
Cultural Relativism |
Donnelly, chs. 6 and 7 |
|
4/6 |
Social and Economic Rights |
International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (INTERNET); Donnelly, ch. 11 |
|
4/11 |
Group Rights |
Donnelly, chs. 12 and 13 |
|
4/13 |
Courts and Truth Commissions |
Power, ch. 13; Paul Van Zyl, “Dilemmas of Transitional Justice” (RESERVE) |
|
4/18 |
The International Criminal Court |
Rome Statue of the International Criminal Court, Preamble, Articles 1-4 and 11-14 only (INTERNET); Dr. Ray Murphy, “International Criminal Accountability and the International Criminal Court” (RESERVE) |
|
Friday April 20: Second paper due in class (Y200)
|
||
|
4/20 |
International Human Rights Reconsidered |
Power, ch. 14 |
|
April 25 and 27: Reserved for any required make-up classes
|
||
|
Wednesday April 25: Research Paper Due (Y401)
|
||
|
Monday April 30 (10:30-12:30): Final Exam (Y200 and Y401)
|
||