Course Details

Course offered Winter 2017

HONORS 394 C: Human Rights: From the Bottom Up (A&H / SSc)

HONORS 394 C: Human Rights: From the Bottom Up (A&H / SSc)

SLN 15423 (View UW registration info »)

William Talbott (Philosophy)
Office: Savery 387, Box 353350
Email: wtalbott@uw.edu

Credits: 5
Limit: 25 students

There is a Western myth that human rights are “self-evident”, but nothing could be farther from the truth. This course will give you an appreciation for historical development of the idea of human rights and of the acceptance of human rights as a struggle against beliefs that seemed self-evident-for example, the belief that some peoples are natural slaves and the belief that women are inferior to and subordinate to men. This history is a history of bottom-up change, driven by human rights activists who opposed specific human rights abuses. The course will begin with some historical background, focusing on the development of rights of religious toleration and the development of a right against slavery. Then we will move to contemporary human rights issues as illuminated by guest lectures by U.W. faculty from a variety of disciplines as well as guest lectures from human rights activists from the Seattle area. Course topics include the European Union and human rights, mass incarceration and human rights, workers and human rights, a global right to health, human rights and immigration, women’s empowerment and human rights, and disability and human rights. Other topics will be added if further guest speakers identified.

Course requirements: Weekly short papers; one 5-7 page paper; a final paper (10-12 pages); and a 2-page reflection on the course. You will do drafts of the two longer papers and receive feedback on your drafts to assist you in preparing the final draft.