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The Idea of Human Rights

Module description

The idea of human rights – the belief that each individual is a bearer of a set of fundamental and inviolable entitlements – is a central feature of modern political discourse, regarded by many as the crowning achievement of modernity. In this module, we consider the normative and conceptual challenges involved in theorizing the idea of human rights, including questions about its philosophical foundations and political implications. We will read a number of philosophical texts, including those of John Rawls, Richard Rorty, Hannah Arendt, Thomas Paine, and James Griffin. The module will appeal to students who enjoy political philosophy and the history of ideas

Module aims - intentions of the module

The module considers the idea of human rights from a variety of perspectives within political, moral and legal philosophy. We begin by considering the history (and historiography) of the concept of human rights, looking at how the idea is articulated by cosmopolitan liberal writers in the late eighteenth century (such as Thomas Paine). We look at how historians have contested its emergence and thereby consider how the idea itself is best conceptualized. We move on to look at Arendt’s critique of universal human rights and Rorty’s attempt to offer an anti-foundational defence of the idea. We then turn to consider the theories of human rights – advanced by John Rawls, James Griffin and others – before raising specific normative questions about how the concept relates to substantive political concerns. These questions vary from year to year, and will include some of the following: the relationship between human rights and democracy; the human right to freedom of movement; feminism and human rights; the post-colonial critique of human rights practice; human rights and healthcare; and how a concern with human rights relates to the natural environment.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. demonstrate understanding of the historical and philosophical underpinnings of a prominent political phenomenon
• 2. critically evaluate different conceptions of human rights

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. analyse texts in moral, legal and political philosophy
• 4. criticise philosophical texts effectively

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. formulate and express ideas at different levels of abstraction
• 6. demonstrate proficiency in written communication according to scholarly conventions

Syllabus plan

Whilst the precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover all or some of the following topics:

-       The history of the idea of human rights

-       Arendt’s critique of human rights

-       Rorty’s anti-foundational defence of human rights

-       Normative theories of human rights

-       John Rawls’ ‘law of peoples’

-       Human rights and contemporary politics

-       Critics of human rights

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

The reading will vary from year to year, but will usually include a number of classic historical and contemporary texts that concern human rights, including the following:

• Thomas Paine, Rights of Man (1791 [1995]), ed. Mark Philp, Oxford: Oxford University Press
• Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism (1958) London: George Allen & Unwin
• John Rawls, The Law of Peoples (1999) Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
• James Griffin, On Human Rights (2008) Oxford: Oxford University Press
• Charles Beitz, The Idea of Human Rights (2009) Oxford: Oxford University Press

Key words search

Political Philosophy; History of Political Thought