THE PHILOSOPHY OF HUMAN RIGHTS: THE CONTEMPORARY DEBATE

This class aims to introduce students to the philosophical debate on the foundational issue and to stimulate independent yet informed thinking.

Although discussions about international issues often make reference to the notion of Human Rights – the war in Syria and the ensuing migration of refugees, the killing of demonstrators in Myanmar, the shortage of anti-Covid vaccines for poor countries are obvious examples – the philosophical foundations of these rights, their claim to cross-cultural universality, their ability to be a sort of secularized religion of mankind are controversial.

The seminar aims to enable students to master the complexity surrounding the philosophical foundation of human rights. It also offers the possibility to gain a detailed knowledge regarding the application of human rights to questions particularly pressing in our days: the responsibility to protect, the cultural legitimacy of human rights in non-western contexts, the relation between human rights and armed conflicts.

Objectives:

1) Enable students to appreciate the complexity of human rights and their alleged foundations
2) Introduce to the problem of HR universal validity and to the parochial objection
3) Analyze the cultural and religious challenge to HR
4) Investigate the complex relation between human rights and animal rights
5) Assess the feminist critique of the common understanding of human rights as possibly stained by patriarchal ideology
6) Assess humanitarian intervention in the language of the responsibility to protect

Unit 1. Introduction. Three philosophical perspectives on human rights
Unit 2. The political approach
Unit 3. The orthodox approach
Unit 4. The instrumental approach
Unit 5. Human rights and democracy. Recognizing and assessing the tension between two major political values of our times
Unit 6. International legal rights Vs moral human rights
Unit 7. The egalitarianism of human rights
Unit 8. Asian values and human rights
Unit 9. The Islamic challenge
Unit 10. Universality and cultural diversity
Unit 11. The responsibility to protect
Unit 12. Human rights and armed conflicts
Unit 13. Animal rights and human rights

Timetable:

Mon-Tue-Wed h. 12-14, six weeks – 36 hours in total.

• EUNICE student: enrolled as a student in one of the universities of EUNICE European University alliance.
• Fluency or near fluency in English
• Previous experience in philosophy is not necessary and yet students  should be prepare to analyse and evaluate complex arguments. Hence basic concepts of political theory would be beneficial.

Study Level: Master

• Submit your application via the button ‘Apply Now’.
• Please keep in mind that the number of participants could be limited for each course. Application does not guarantee enrolment in the course.
• The course participants will be selected based on criteria specified in the study guide.
• Your home university will inform you whether you have been accepted and provide further information about the next steps.

Specific instructions in some universities:

• BTU students: for questions about enrolment and recognition at your university, you can visit this website or contact Bernd.Groll@b-tu.de
• UC students: except for the Language courses, in order to ask for ECTS recognition at your university, you must also apply at the internal UC Virtual Mobility call available from 10 July 2023.
• UVAASA students: click here to know more about this course’s ECTS recognition at your university.
• UPHF students: make sure to ask the approval of your director of studies (responsable pédagogique) before applying. For any question, you can contact the EUNICE office: eunice@uphf.fr
• KU students: all students apply via UniversityAdmissions. Find more information here: apply to master’s (universityadmissions.se) and here: bachelor’s requirements (universityadmissions.se)
• UoP students: for questions about enrolment and recognition please consult  the responsible person  at your university (Director of Studies or ECTS coordinator) or contact a.vogopoulou@go.uop.gr

Any question? Contact your EUNICE courses coordinator.