Human Rights &
U.S. Foreign Policy Spring 2002
Goya: Saturn Devouring his Children
Goals of Course: International law recognizes that there are fundamental rights which should be enjoyed by all people, yet there is controversy about the scope of these rights and how they should be protected. We will examine the evolution of human rights as a political issue in modern times, paying special attention to the its growing prominence in United States foreign policy. What does it mean to claim that the rights of a group or individual have been abused? Under what circumstances are such claims made? How are we to judge human rights claims, and how may remedies be enforced? What are the political implications of so many human rights cases competing for our attention? How has human rights become a relatively glamorous cause in a short period of time, and what does this mean for other issues? Is the United States sincere in its public human rights rhetoric? How does its own record of human rights protection measure up internationally? We will examine the impact non-governmental organizations (such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty, Doctors without Borders) upon U.S. policy, and consider such political options as diplomacy, sanctions, and grants of political asylum.Class Meetings: 2-3:20 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays in 125 Mackenzie.
Instructor: Richard Kraus, Office: 821 PLC. Office hours: Wednesdays 2-3:30, Thursdays 3:30-5, and by appointment. Phone: 346-4894. E-mail: rkraus@oregon.uoregon.edu.
Graduate Teaching Fellows:
Clinton Smith. 261 PLC, 346-4128. csmith5@darkwing.uoregon.edu
office hours Tuesdays 11:30-12:30, Thursdays 3:30-4:30
Sun Jinmei. 823 PLC, 346-4890. jsun@darkwing.uoregon.edu
office hours Tuesdays 3:30-5:30
Texts:
1.
Jack Donnelly, International Human Rights.
2.
Duncan Forrest, ed., A Glimpse of Hell:
Reports on Torture Worldwide.
3.
Lawrence Weschler, A Miracle, A Universe:
Settling Accounts with Torturers.
4.
Margaret E. Keck and Kathryn Sikkink, Activists
Beyond Borders.
Texts
1-4 above are available at Mother Kali’s
Books, 720 East 13th Avenue.
5.
The New York Times: available at reduced rates for the quarter at
the University of Oregon Bookstore; prepaid orders taken during the first week
of class at the center counter on the first floor. The New York Times is also available free on the internet.
Human rights coverage is extensive, although scattered. Make sure to scan the
stories under “international," "national,"
"business," "arts/living," and "books" for human
rights reports.
6.
There will be several internet-based reading assignments, linked to my web page.
Course Website:
Reading assignments, links to web-based readings, and examination schedules are
on Richard Kraus's
web site.
Please inform the instructor if you encounter any difficulty with broken web
links.
Course Requirements for Undergraduates:
1. Examination option: Take three exams, which will each contribute one third of your final grade. You need not write a paper, but without writing one, your highest possible course grade will be B+. The first two examinations will be held in class on Thursday, April 25 and Tuesday, May 21. The final examination will be held on Wednesday, June 11 from 1-3 pm. Documented medical excuses are of course a valid reason for missing an exam; plans for early vacation are not, alas.
Course Requirement for Graduate Students: A twenty-page research paper exploring some aspect of human rights politics. Such a paper must incorporate the readings in the class and additional sources agreed to with the professor.