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Unit of study_

PHIL3613: Philosophy of Human Rights

This unit addresses central themes from the history and philosophy of human rights. Topics may include justifications for human rights, dangers and threats to human rights, the meaning and role of dignity, tensions between human rights and state sovereignty, as well as wider themes in political thought such as equality, liberty, and power. Thinkers may include Burke, Wollstonecraft, Paine, Marx, Arendt, Levi, Rawls, and Nussbaum.

Code PHIL3613
Academic unit Philosophy
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
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12 credit points at 2000 level in Philosophy or 12 credit points at 2000 level in Politics or 12 credit points at 2000 level in International Relations
Corequisites:
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None
Prohibitions:
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None

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. analyse core concepts in the philosophy of human rights, such as dignity, rights, duty, sovereignty, natural law, universality, witnessing, and violence
  • LO2. distinguish traditions in the philosophy of human rights, such as natural law, positivist, liberal, and capabilities
  • LO3. demonstrate critical and charitable reading skills of primary texts.