Module Identifier IPM3830  
Module Title HUMAN RIGHTS AND WORLD POLITICS  
Academic Year 2001/2002  
Co-ordinator Dr Nicholas Wheeler  
Semester Semester 2  
Course delivery Seminar   1 x two hour seminar per week over one semester  
Assessment Course work   1 x 1,500 word book review   15%  
  Essay   1 x 3,000 word   35%  
  Exam   3 Hours To be examined in Semester Two.   50%  

Objectives


The learning objectives of the module are both subject specific and general. The latter include the development of oral skills through paper presentations and a role-playing exercise based on specific case studies; written skills through an assessed book review, essay and examination questions, and research skills because of the need at all stages in this module to use and assess large amounts of complex and often contradictory material. The subject-specific objectives involve the attainment by the end of the module of a Masters level ability to discuss the following: the philosophical foundations of universal human rights; the impact of human rights values on the norms and rules of the society of states; the implications of globalization for human rights, and the prospects for a global human rights culture.

Aims


The aim of this module is to introduce students to the theory and practice of human rights in world politics. It is organized around the theme of the apparent contradiction between the widespread acceptance of the idea that individuals have human rights and the everyday experience of human wrongs. The module will explore the philosophical foundations of universal human rights; the strengths and weaknesses of the global regime for protecting human rights; the role of human rights in foreign policy; humanitarian intervention; international criminal justice; the role of the World Bank and IMF in providing economic and social rights; the role of transnational corporations; the human rights of women; and the role of International Non-Governmental Organizations in promoting human rights.