HMRT-HUMAN RIGHTS

HMRT 2110G. Introduction to Human Rights

3 Credits (3)

The course provides a basic introduction to international human rights including conceptual foundations and key theoretical debates with attention paid to current events that are shaping justice and human rights. It provides a variety of disciplinary perspectives on human rights including philosophy, socio-legal studies, political science, law, and criminology. The combination of understanding the conceptual foundations, key theoretical debates, and thematic areas in human rights will enable students to understand the evolution of human rights regimes and their influence in society today. The course is broken into four parts. The first part provides an understanding of the historical underpinnings of international human rights and their evolution in society and law. It examines foundational texts on justice and human rights that have shaped our concepts of rights and justice today. The second part focuses on global and regional mechanisms within human rights. Examining these mechanisms helps us understand the legal application and enforcement of human rights globally. The third section focuses on thematic areas in human rights. These thematic areas include: environmental law, international criminal law, refugee, migrants and asylum seekers, international women’s rights, economic, social & cultural rights, and transitional justice. The course concludes by focusing on critical perspectives and local issues on human rights.

Learning Outcomes
  1. Understand key theoretical debates on human rights.
  2. Describe historical underpinnings of international human rights.
  3. Identify different foundational texts in the evolution of justice and human rights.
  4. Understand how social and historical contexts have impacted beliefs on justice, rights, and human dignity.
  5. Explain thematic areas in international human rights.
  6. Understand regional and global multilateral mechanisms in human rights law.
  7. Critically examine the efficacy of international human rights.
  8. Understand the social, political, economic and other factors that have molded human rights.
  9. Gain a better understanding of your own worldviews and opinions towards justice and human rights.

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HMRT 2125. International Rights of Children

3 Credits (3)

This course examines the history, sources and role of international rights of children in the protection of children worldwide. It provides an understanding of the international legal regulatory framework implemented to address the rights of children. The course is broken into two parts. The first part covers the history and development of international rights of children and explores key concepts from children’s rights theory. This section also covers current international legal mechanisms in place to protect children worldwide. The second section covers issues in the protection of children’s rights. Issues covered include (but not limited to): child labor, child trafficking, armed conflict, war, the right to truth. Lastly the course covers the future of international rights of children.

Learning Outcomes
  1. Understand the history and origins of child protection in international human rights law.
  2. Identify key concepts of children’s rights theory in international human rights law.
  3. Describe major international human rights law established for the protection of children.
  4. Understand how international rights of children addresses issues in child exploitation and abuse related to child labor and child trafficking.
  5. Explain the rights of children during armed conflict and war.
  6. Identify the rights of children to the right to truth.
  7. Critically examine the what the future of international rights of children entails when incorporating an understanding of human rights law.
  8. Gain a better understanding of your own worldviews and opinions towards the international rights of children.

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HMRT 2175G. Border Justice & Human Rights

3 Credits (3)

This course examines the human rights implications of border practices, migration/refugee patterns, and environmental degradation set amidst increasingly contentious territorial politics, complex population movements, and record-shattering climate change events. Additionally, the course provides context to justice along the U.S/Mexico border as seen through a human rights lens. It examines issues of border conflict around the world. It also explores the history of the U.S.-Mexico border and examines historical and contemporary human rights issues impacting the region. The course is broken into three parts. The first part provides an introduction to the history of the U.S.-Mexico border region. This includes exploring the history of border drawing and its impact on populations living along the border. The second section examines the long history of violence along borders. It examines how border identities develop over time in the midst of violence, community building, and the contested spaces of borders. It also explores how drugs, immigration, and free trade has impacted border regions. Lastly after understanding the history and issues of violence along borders, the last section explores human rights issues of border regions. This section examines how social movements and human rights advocacy have impacted the protection of rights of communities living along borders.

Learning Outcomes
  1. Explain the historical evolution of border drawing along the U.S.-Mexico border and throughout the world.
  2. Identify how colonization impacted the development of border regions.
  3. Understand how identity is informed by migration and belonging in the U.S.-Mexico border region.
  4. Describe how increased border enforcement and immigrant criminalization has impacted the U.S.-Mexico border region.
  5. Understand how drug wars, human trafficking and gendered violence impacts the U.S.-Mexico border.
  6. Describe past and current human rights violations taking place along the U.S.-Mexico border and at other borders throughout the world.
  7. Understand how transnational advocacy groups and other social movements advocating for human rights have impacted border regions.
  8. Gain a better understanding of your own worldviews and opinions towards the U.S.-Mexico border and human rights.

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HMRT 3996. Issues in Human Rights

3 Credits (3)

The course provides an opportunity to discuss contemporary issues in international human rights, including current events that are shaping justice and human rights. It provides a variety of disciplinary perspectives on human rights including philosophy, socio-legal studies, political science, law, and criminology. The combination of understanding the conceptual foundations, key theoretical debates, and thematic areas in human rights will enable students to understand the evolution of human rights regimes and their influence in society today. It will be taught as a Seminar on problems and conflicts encountered in major human rights issues.

Learning Outcomes
  1. Understand key theoretical debates on human rights.
  2. Describe historical underpinnings of international human rights.
  3. Identify different foundational texts in the evolution of justice and human rights.
  4. Understand how social and historical contexts have impacted beliefs on justice, rights, and human dignity.
  5. Explain thematic areas in international human rights.
  6. Understand regional and global multilateral mechanisms in human rights law.
  7. Explain issues and approaches in human rights enforcement and policy.
  8. Critically examine the efficacy of international human rights.
  9. Understand the social, political, economic and other factors that have molded human rights. 1
  10. Gain a better understanding of your own worldviews and opinions towards justice and human rights.

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HMRT 4550V. Skills & Ethics for Human Rights Work

3 Credits (3)

Course topics will vary, but each will cover a specific skill that is important for doing contemporary human rights work. Topics might include: grant writing and fundraising, specific statistical techniques or research methods, forensics and human rights, interviewing of marginalized communities, creating documentary media, or the optimum use of social media. The course is broken into three parts. The first part provides an introduction to the topic of human rights and examines current issues faced by people working in the human rights field. The second section focuses on development of practical human rights skills. The last section explores ethical dilemmas faced when conducting human rights work

Learning Outcomes
  1. Explain the practice of human rights work.
  2. Identify differences between human rights activism and advocacy.
  3. Explain differences between human right and other rights.
  4. Understand the nature and practice of human rights data collection.
  5. Describe the different research methods used in human rights work.
  6. Understand grant writing and fundraising strategies for human rights work.
  7. Identify the impact journalism, documentaries, and social media has on human rights work.
  8. Understand how decolonizing human rights practices impact human rights work along the U.S.-Mexico border.
  9. Critically examine the role human rights work has globally. 1
  10. Gain a better understanding of your own worldviews and opinions towards the skills and ethics of human rights work.

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HMRT 4580V. International Environmental Law and Justice

3 Credits (3)

This course will provide a general introduction to the basic concepts and mechanisms of international environmental law. The course is aimed at providing a foundation of the current international legal framework and principles that govern and regulate environmental law. It explores the root causes of environmental problems and investigates the ways society manages environmental issues via the law that transcend international boundaries and resultantly fall beyond the authority of a single nation. The course is broken into four parts. The first part provides an introduction to the topic and examines current issues impacting environmental law and justice. The section also examines the history and evolution of international environmental law. The second section analyzes the causes associated with environmental problems and describes current norms and policies. The third section explores the roles of governmental and intergovernmental actors and actors beyond the state that participate in international environmental law. The course concludes by examining environmental justice and questions whether environmental law is effective and what are the shortcomings and areas needed for improvement to protect the environment. This section also examines how social movements impact the protection and implementation of environmental law.

Learning Outcomes
  1. Explain the historical evolution of international environmental law.
  2. Identify root causes of environmental problems.
  3. Understand the nature and practice of environmental law.
  4. Describe the different types of environmental norms.
  5. Identify the legal structure of courts and regulators for environmental law.
  6. Understand the different jurisdictional spaces and actors for environmental law.
  7. Explain the complexities of international environmental governance and regulation.
  8. Describe the interconnections of environmental law with other areas of international law, including human rights, humanitarian law, trade and foreign investment.
  9. Critically examine the influence of politics on the protection of the environment and establishment of international environmental law. 1
  10. Gain a better understanding of your own worldviews and opinions towards the environmental protection and the law.

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HMRT 4720V. Space Law & Human Rights

3 Credits (3)

This course examines the history, sources and role of space law shaping contemporary governance of space activities including weapons in space, freedom of exploration, militarization, surveillance, and corporate accountability. It provides an understanding of international resolutions, principles, regulations and private international and national space laws and policies. The course is broken into two parts. The first part provides an introduction the space law and human rights and examines the evolution of space law. This section also provides understanding on current space law treaties and principles. The second section covers substantive legal issues in outer space law and how human rights intersects with these issues. Issues covered include: weapons in space, corporate responsibility, national security, militarization, and environmental issues.

Learning Outcomes
  1. Understand the history and development of space law.
  2. Identify main tenets of space law.
  3. Explain key space law treaties and principles.
  4. Describe how space law intersects with human rights law.
  5. Understand contemporary legal issues in space law and the protection of human rights and the environment.
  6. Critically examine the what the future of space law entails when incorporating an understanding of human rights law.
  7. Gain a better understanding of your own worldviews and opinions towards the outer space law and human rights.

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