Master
2021/2022
Human Rights in Non-Western Societies
Category 'Best Course for Career Development'
Category 'Best Course for Broadening Horizons and Diversity of Knowledge and Skills'
Category 'Best Course for New Knowledge and Skills'
Type:
Elective course (Political Analysis and Public Policy)
Area of studies:
Political Science
Delivered by:
Public Policy Department
Where:
Faculty of Social Sciences
When:
1 year, 3, 4 module
Mode of studies:
offline
Open to:
students of one campus
Instructors:
Stanislav Myasnikov
Master’s programme:
Political Analysis and Public Policy
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
5
Contact hours:
40
Course Syllabus
Abstract
The course on “Human Rights in Non Western Societies” is a theoretical and legal query on the Human Rights laws, Universal Declaration on Human Rights in the post colonized countries and the level of adaptation, assimilation and engagement on the subject of Human Rights in the Non western societies. The course shall try to examine and understand through the theoretical test on the subject of Human rights compliance and the various sets of limitations (normative, cultural and customary laws etc) that does create a distinctive human rights ecosystem in different geographical regions of the world. The course shall also examine through the other meta-concepts such as governance and democracy the transitional trajectory of the human rights compliance and its acceptance in the transitional societies and “pendulum conditionality” and backsliding of democracy in the otherwise more democratic states. At the same time, course is looking to review the situation with human rights abuse in so called Non-western countries and examine, how the alternate concept of human rights are applying to justify violations and what kind of institutes and practices are common for non-democratic regimes to mimicking and corruption of human rights ideas and practices.
Learning Objectives
- Know the major concepts of human rights, as well as public policy and social discourse
- Understand how human rights could be interpreted in different cultural environments
- Analyze what are the motives for framing particular issues as human rights issues
- Understand to what extent cultural differences in the conception of human rights affect the universality of those rights as philosophical values or legal obligations
- Know the alternate (non-Western) concept of human rights
Expected Learning Outcomes
- Students shall be equipped to explain the diversity of Human rights compliance in different parts of the world.
- Working with primary data sources and literature on the problems of human rights
- Students shall be equipped to explain how new media affects human rights in non-western societies
- Students shall be equipped to explain how political regimes affect human rights
- Students shall be equipped to explain the diversity of approaches to human rights
- Students shall be equipped to explain the global and regional insitutions on human rights
- Students shall be equipped to explain the issues of ethnic minorities in post-soviet societies
- Students shall be equipped to explain the major issues brought to human rights by globalization
Course Contents
- Human Rights and cultural pluralism: The generations of human rights and the Universal Declaration
- Global and regional institutions, declarations, and covenants on human rights
- Globalization and issues of human rights protection in Western and Non-Western societies
- Universalism and particularism: concepts of Non-Western approach to human rights
- Approaches and methods of human rights analysis
- Political regimes, policies and human rights: the cases of Non-Western countries
- Ethnic minorities Rights Issues in Post-Soviet countries
- Information warfare and human rights
- New media in plural world: an impact on non-western societies
- Sustainable development goals as an instrument of human rights protection
- Entrepreneurship, corporate social responsibility and human rights
- Human rights concepts in Russian Orthodox Church and Islamic tradition
- Campaigning and human rights activism as an instrument of human rights promotion
- Big events as a tool of promotion of human rights in Non-Western countries
- Enforcement to human rights: peacebuilding and intervention
- The right to self-determination, self-representation, and development
- Human rights as a tool for legitimation and justification of policy and political order
- The role of NGOs in promotion of human rights
- The role human rights in modern cultural institutions agenda
Assessment Elements
- Active participation
- Individual written paper (HR in the particular Non-Western Country)
- Group project paper (HR analysis in the particular Non-Western Country)
- Final presentation of the group project (HR analysis in the particular Non-Western Country)
Interim Assessment
- 2021/2022 4th module0.2 * Final presentation of the group project (HR analysis in the particular Non-Western Country) + 0.2 * Individual written paper (HR in the particular Non-Western Country) + 0.3 * Group project paper (HR analysis in the particular Non-Western Country) + 0.3 * Active participation
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- Bagchi, S. S., & Das, A. (2013). Human Rights and the Third World : Issues and Discourses. Lanham: Lexington Books. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=651046
- Donnelly, J. (1982). Human Rights and Human Dignity: An Analytic Critique of Non-Western Conceptions of Human Rights. American Political Science Review, (02), 303. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.a.cup.apsrev.v76y1982i02p303.316.18
- Horowitz, S. A., & Schnabel, A. (2004). Human Rights and Societies in Transition : Causes, Consequences, Responses. New York: United Nations University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=107754
- Mapp, S. C. (2014). Human Rights and Social Justice in a Global Perspective : An Introduction to International Social Work (Vol. Second Edition). New York: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=746357
- Sen, A. (1998). Universal truths. Harvard International Review, 20(3), 40. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=f5h&AN=748883
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- Dallmayr, F. (2002). "Asian Values " and Global Human Rights. Philosophy East & West, 52(2), 173. https://doi.org/10.1353/pew.2002.0025
- Hajjar Leib, L. (2011). Human Rights and the Environment : Philosophical, Theoretical and Legal Perspectives. Web server without geographic relation, Web server without geographic relation (org): Brill. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.9E51B64E
- Tahmindjis, P., & Graupner, H. (2005). Sexuality and Human Rights : A Global Overview. Binghamton, NY: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=783000
- Wilson, R., & Mitchell, J. P. (2003). Human Rights in Global Perspective : Anthropological Studies of Rights, Claims and Entitlements. London: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=95433