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Anthropology of Human Rights - SOCA2210
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Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
 
 
School:  School of Social Sciences and International Studies
 
 
Course Outline: http://sociology.arts.unsw.edu.au/
 
 
Campus: Kensington Campus
 
 
Career: Undergraduate
 
 
Units of Credit: 6
 
 
EFTSL: 0.125 (more info)
 
 
Contact Hours per Week: 3
 
 
Enrolment Requirements:
 
 
Prerequisite: 36 units of credit
 
 
Fee Band: 1 (more info)
 
 
Further Information: See Class Timetable
 
 

Description

Explores the rise of human rights discourse and its relationship to moral and religious discourses on suffering and social justice. Focuses on the experience of victims of human rights abuse and the politics of meaning. Critiques law as a reductionist discourse on the social by exploring the relationships between human rights and cultural difference eg. gender, ethnicity, religion and indigenous cultures. Considers the cultural validity of human rights as a universalist discourse and as a globalising discourse. Looks at the emergence of a global human rights machinery and the ethics of humanitarian intervention.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this course, students should be able to:
  • Appreciate the social and political significance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
  • Apply different sociological and anthropological theories to the analysis of human rights movements and politics
  • Understand how the disciplines of law, politics, sociology and anthropology differ in their analysis of human rights
  • Understand the character of human rights as a universalist and global discourse
  • Develop research skills and critical analytical perspectives through writing and presentations.

Assessment

  • Three reading reports (800 words each) - 20%
  • Participation and presentation - 15%
  • Major essay (3000 words) - 45%
  • Final test in-class - 20%

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