SOCI 394: Sociology of Human Rights

SOCI 394-001: Sociology of Human Rights
(Fall 2018)

03:00 PM to 04:15 PM TR

Planetary Hall 206

Section Information for Fall 2018

The Sociology of Human Rights only recently has emerged as a formal sub-field within the discipline. Although most classical sociological theory (e.g., Marx, Weber, Durkheim) casts a cynical light on human rights, contemporary sociologists have contributed significantly to their development and to our empirical understanding of their practice. In 2008, the American Sociological Association created a new Section on Human Rights, and the International Sociological Association has an active Thematic Research Group on Human Rights.  But what are human rights? Where do they come from?  And how do we study them? Are there other important values aside from human rights (for example, “national security,” “national sovereignty,” “good governance” or “economically sustainable growth”), and if so, how are human rights related to them?  In other words, what are the limits and well as the value of human rights? Understanding human rights requires conceptual analysis, moral judgment, and social scientific knowledge.

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Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3

Provides an overview of sociological, theoretical, and methodological approaches to understanding human rights. Examining connections between inequality, conflict, social justice, governance, and human rights, the course focuses on the contexts of meaning within which human rights are invoked and practiced as well as the role that non-state actors play in shaping the development and institutionalization of human rights. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Seminar
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

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