Understanding Human Rights examines the moral and legal foundations of the contemporary human rights discourse. It explores the philosophical and religious origins of human rights and the development of national and international human rights instruments. The course analyses the claims of Western bias in the human rights discourse and evaluates the effectiveness of historical and contemporary approaches to human rights protection. The course uses contemporary examples of human rights abuse to illustrate the content.

Main Topics
• The idea of human rights in philosophy and religion;
• Notions of absolutism, universalism, cultural relativism, and pluralism in relation to human rights;
• The development of historical and contemporary human rights documents;
• International and Australian Human Rights Law; International Humanitarian Law;
• The effectiveness of current human rights protection internationally and domestically;
• Human rights expansionism; and the relationship between rights and responsibilities.

More information can be found on the Course Outline Website.