Outline

Overview

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.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Philosophy
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	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 ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Alexandre Lefebvre, alex.lefebvre@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 1 September 2025

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length	Use of AI
Written work	Final Essay n/a	50%	Formal exam period Due date: 21 Nov 2025 at 23:59	2500 words	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Written work	Midterm Essay n/a	40%	Week 07 Due date: 19 Sep 2025 at 23:59	2000 words	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Contribution	Weekly Questions n/a	10%	Weekly	n/a	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Weekly Questions:

Each week, students are expected to prepare two questions based on the assigned reading. Each question may be as short as a sentence or as long as a paragraph. The questions will be counted, not graded. However, to count, they must demonstrate genuine engagement with the reading.

For example, asking “Why do the rights of man make Burke so angry?” is not sufficient. A better question might be: “Burke objects to both the content (e.g., equality) and the form (e.g., abstraction) of natural rights. What is the relationship between the two?”

Questions must be submitted in print, in person, at the start of lecture each week. Submissions during the mid-lecture break will not be accepted. Please include your name and tutorial time (e.g., Friday 1–2 pm).

Late submissions, emailed submissions, submissions in tutorial, or submissions delivered by someone else will not be accepted.

Each set of questions is worth 1% of your final grade, up to a maximum of 10%.

Midterm Essay: On August 29th, you will receive a 2000-word (maximum) midterm assignment. Essay questions will be posted on Canvas. The midterm assignment is due September 19th.

Final Essay: On October 31st, you will receive a 2500-word (maximum) final essay assignment. Essay questions will be posted on Canvas. The final essay is due November 21st.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades

For more information see guide to grades.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

You can use generative AI tools for open assessments. Restrictions on AI use apply to secure, supervised assessments used to confirm if students have met specific learning outcomes.

Refer to the assessment table above to see if AI is allowed, for assessments in this unit and check Canvas for full instructions on assessment tasks and AI use.

If you use AI, you must always acknowledge it. Misusing AI may lead to a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The University expects students to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

Our website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. This includes advice on how to avoid common breaches of academic integrity. Ensure that you have completed the Academic Honesty Education Module (AHEM) which is mandatory for all commencing coursework students

Penalties for serious breaches can significantly impact your studies and your career after graduation. It is important that you speak with your unit coordinator if you need help with completing assessments.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction - The Theory and History of Human Rights	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 02	Alexis de Tocqueville, Ancien Regime and the French Revolution (1856)	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790)	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Thomas Paine, Rights of Man (1791)	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	Mary Wollstonecraft, Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792), and Alexandre Lefebvre, Human Rights and the Care of the Self (2018)	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Karl Marx, “On the Jewish Question” (1844)	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	Carl Schmitt, The Concept of the Political (1932)	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951)	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	Primo Levi, Survival at Auschwitz (1947)	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 10	The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), Judith Shklar, “The Liberalism of Fear” (1989), and Michael Ignatieff, "Human Rights as Politics and Idolatry" (2001)	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	Martha Nussbaum, Creating Capabilities (2010)	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	Sally Engle Merry, Human Rights and Gender Violence (2005), and John Rawls, “The Idea of Public Reason Revisited” (1997).	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 13	J.M. Coetzee, The Lives of Animals (1999)	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Students are expected to attend a minimum of 90 per cent of timetabled activities for a unit of study. This includes both lecture and tutorial.

You will need to attend lecture in order to submit weekly questions.

Please bring a hard or soft copy of the weekly reading to lecture and tutorial. This unit of study is based on close textual analysis and you'll be lost without having the reading at hand.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All required readings are in the unit of study reader, which is posted on Canvas and also available for purchase.

An aim of this class is to closely engage with a limited number of primary texts in order to dwell on key themes, and, more generally, to slow reading down. Students are not expected to read more widely than the required readings in the coursepack. If you wish to consult secondary material, however, I have placed the following two texts on reserve at Fisher Library (hardcopy only):

• Furet and Ozouf, eds. A critical dictionary on the French Revolution (1989). This volume has an outstanding entry on Tocqueville’s Ancien Regime. 944.04 282

• Lynn Hunt. Inventing Human Rights: a History (2007). Cultural history of human rights, concentrating on the 18th century. 323.09 5

The following texts are on eReserve, available through the link on the Canvas site:

• Jack Donnelly. Human Rights Theory and Practice (2013). Good general introduction to the theory and practice of human rights.

• Douzinas and Gearty, eds. The Meaning of Rights: the Philosophy and Social Theory of Human Rights (2014). Wide range of essays on topics in philosophy of human rights.

Two more useful resources: 1. The Cambridge Companion series. These volumes are provide excellent introductions to dedicated authors and topics, such as Burke, Tocqueville, Wollstonecraft, Levi, and Arendt. They are available in full-text through Fisher Library. 2. The online Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy. It has useful entries on Arendt, Burke, Human Rights, Rights, Respect, and much more.

If you wish for further advice on secondary readings please send me an email.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

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.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

I have added one reading to this unit this year (Carl Schmitt, Concept of the Political).

Additional information

Here is a more precise summary of the unit of study content:

This year we will look at the longterm theory and history of human rights, from its classical origins in the French Revolution to the contemporary period. In particular, we will ask how and why the two main events of political modernity – the French Revolution, and the Second World War and the Holocaust – led to declarations of human rights. Our first cluster of texts covers great classical authors of the human rights tradition: Burke, Paine, Tocqueville, Wollstonecraft, and Marx. Here we will see how the Declaration of the Rights of Man closes out the feudal age of inequality and privilege, for better or for worse. Our second set of texts addresses two issues. With Arendt and Levi we will examine the unprecedented attack on human dignity in the Second World War. And, with our contemporary authors, we will track the rise of the contemporary global human rights regime. Through the study of these two foundational events, we will achieve a concrete understanding of the shifting purposes and practices of human rights and also the different kinds of abuses they are meant to check.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

PHIL3613: Philosophy of Human Rights

Semester 2, 2025 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links