Course Syllabus

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The University of Oklahoma

David L. Boren College of International Studies

Department of International and Area Studies

IAS 3033

International Human Rights

Fall 2020

Dr. Michelle Morais de Sa e Silva Class Meeting Time

Office hours: By appointment, via Zoom; Tuesday: 11:00 – 12:15, via Zoom.

e-mail: michelle.morais@ou.edu Thursday: Video lectures, with some exceptions.

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COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course aims to allow students to become familiar with the regional and international human rights systems, providing an overview of the Inter-American and the United Nations human rights bodies and mechanisms. Students will learn skills that will enable them to petition to various existing human rights procedures, as well as to professionally prepare reports to treaty and non-treaty bodies. The course will also make room for reflection around international human rights law, its observance by sovereign states, and the struggles of local and national human rights defenders, in the Global North and the Global South alike.

This course will be offered as a writing skills course.

COURSE READINGS

The following required book will be available for purchase in the University Bookstore:

Sikkink, K. (2019). Evidence for hope: Making human rights work in the 21st century (Vol. 28). Princeton University Press.

OU Bookstore link: International Human Rights

In addition to the required book, there will be journal articles, newspaper articles and book chapters that will be required readings for each session according to the schedule below. Those reading materials will be made available on Canvas.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Course requirements are as follows:

(1) Petition: students will prepare a petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, seeking reparations for violations committed in an OAS member-state against an individual or a group of individuals. This assignment will correspond to 20% of the course grade.

(2) Country report: students will choose a UN member-state and will prepare a report on the observance (or lack thereof) of international human rights norms. The report should contain up-to-date data on actual human rights violations that would merit the attention and action of UN human rights mechanisms. This assignment will correspond to 30% of the course grade.

(3) Book club presentation: students will be divided into groups and each group will be responsible for presenting and organizing the discussion on one of the chapters of the required book. A 2-3 page summary should be submitted on Canvas after the presentation. This assignment will correspond to 10% of the course grade.

(4) Reflection paper: at the end of the course, students will be asked to write an essay in response to critical reflection questions posed by the instructor. This assignment will correspond to 30% of the course grade.

(5) Attendance and participation: participation during Zoom class meetings will be highly valued. Students will be asked to maintain their camera on and to engage in class and group discussions. Attendance and participation will account for 10% of the course grade.

Assignment	Weight	Deadline
Petition	20%	September 24^th
Country report	30%	November 3rd
Book club presentation	10%	See assigned date for your group
Reflection paper	30%	Tuesday, Dec 15^th
Attendance and participation	10%	---

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Please review http://integrity.ou.edu, especially the “Students Guide to Academic Integrity” (http://integrity.ou.edu/students_guide.html) and “9 Things You Should Know about Plagiarism” (http://integrity.ou.edu/files/nine_things_you_should_know.pdf). You are responsible for learning the conventions of proper attribution and citation of sources. Plagiarism, cheating, and academic dishonesty of any kind are a violation of University policy.

In the age of constant media consumption, online paper mills, and copy-paste digital content, students can find it challenging to maintain their ethical bearings. But please remember that a single act of academic dishonesty can have dire, irreversible consequences for your career. There is no statute of limitations on plagiarism, even in cases discovered years after graduation. If you ever have a question about academic integrity, do not hesitate to consult the instructor.

RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS

It is the policy of the University of Oklahoma to excuse absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide without penalty for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required class work that may fall on religious holidays. If you will need to miss class or another course obligation as a result of a religious holiday, please notify me via email in advance.

ACCOMMODATIONS

If you have a disability that may prevent you from fully demonstrating your abilities, please notify the instructor as soon as possible so we can arrange accommodations necessary to ensure your full participation. Information on accommodation is available at the University Disability Resource Center: http://www.ou.edu/drc/home.html

DIVERSITY AND CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE: Diverse experiences and perspectives will make our discussions interesting, and everyone is encouraged to share their point of view. Remember, however, that you must always be considerate of your fellow students. Your instructor is committed to making the OU community a safe and welcoming place for people of all backgrounds and identities. I will not tolerate interruptions or disrespectful behavior of any kind. Should you notice any disrespectful or discriminatory behavior, please report it immediately to the instructor.

ADJUSTMENTS FOR PREGNANCY/CHILDBIRTH RELATED ISSUES:

Should you need modifications or adjustments to your course requirements because of documented pregnancy-related or childbirth-related issues, please contact me as soon as possible to discuss. Generally, modifications will be made where medically necessary and similar in scope to accommodations based on temporary disability. Please see www.ou.edu/content/eoo/faqs/pregnancy-faqs.html for commonly asked questions.

TITLE IX RESOURCES:

For any concerns regarding gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking, or intimate partner violence, the University offers a variety of resources, including advocates on-call 24.7, counseling services, mutual no contact orders, scheduling adjustments and disciplinary sanctions against the perpetrator. Please contact the Sexual Misconduct Office 405-325-2215 (8-5) or the Sexual Assault Response Team 405-615-0013 (24.7) to learn more or to report an incident.

WRITING CENTER:

Most universities have a writing center, a place for students, faculty, and staff to meet and talk about writing. The Writing Center here at OU is a resource I encourage you to use. Part of good writing is seeking feedback from many different readers. The writing consultants at the Writing Center are able to talk with you about your writing—at any stage in the process and for any course you are taking. You can make an appointment (online or by phone, 405-325-2936), or you can drop in whenever they are open. For more information, see http://www.ou.edu/writingcenter.html

Copyright

Sessions of this course may be recorded or live-streamed. These recordings are the intellectual property of the individual faculty member and may not be shared or reproduced without the explicit, written consent of the faculty member. In addition, privacy rights of others such as students, guest lecturers, and providers of copyrighted material displayed in the recording may be of concern. Students may not share any course recordings with individuals not enrolled in the class, or upload them to any other online environment.

SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENTS

Tuesday, Aug 25 (Zoom)	What are human rights?
Class introductions, syllabus presentation, and group discussion.

Thursday, Aug 27 (Video)

Tuesday, Sept 1 (Zoom)

The origins of human rights

Read:

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Ikenberry, G. J. (2018). The end of liberal international order?. International Affairs, 94(1), 7-23.

Watch:

Video Lecture

History of Human Rights

Thursday, Sept 03 (Video)

Human rights and state responsibility

Read:

Cook, R. J. (1994). State Responsibility for Violations of Women's Human Rights. Harvard Human Rights. J., 7, 125.

Watch: Video Lecture

Tuesday, Sep 08 (Zoom)

International Human Rights Norms and state behavior

Read:

Risse-Kappen, T., Risse, T., Ropp, S. C., & Sikkink, K. (Eds.). (1999). The power of human rights: International norms and domestic change. Cambridge University Press.

Thursday, Sep 10 (Video)

Tuesday, Sep 15 (Zoom)

The Inter-American System of Human Rights

Read:

American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, 1948.

American Convention on Human Rights. “Pact of San Jose, Costa Rica”.

IACHR. (2010). Petition and Case System. Informational brochure.

Thursday, Sep 17 (Video)

The Inter-American System of Human Rights

Read:

Hillebrecht, C. (2012). The domestic mechanisms of compliance with international human rights law: Case studies from the Inter-American human rights system. Human Rights Quarterly, 34, 959.

Gonzales v. United States of America and the State of Colorado.

Watch:

Video lecture.

Tuesday, Sep 22: no class. Professor in surgery.

Thursday, Sept 24, at 11:59pm: submit assignment – petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Thursday, Sep 24 (Video)

Tuesday, Sep 29 (Zoom)

The International Human Rights System

Read:

United Nations Human Rights Report 2019

Hernandez, M. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the OHCHR: 20 years of institutional development (1994-2014)

Nossel, S., & Broecker, C. L. (2014). The High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Human Rights Council. In The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (pp. 219-244). Brill Nijhoff.

Human rights violations and international human rights norms and mechanisms

Thursday, Oct 01 (Video)

Tuesday, Oct 06 (Zoom)

Torture

(Treaty bodies)

Read:

Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. The Prohibition of Torture: An Introductory Guide.

Mora, A. (2017). American Cruelty and the Defense of the Constitution. The Stutt Lecture. United States Naval Academy.

Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

Tuesday, Oct 06: Guest speaker – Veronica Hinestroza, human rights specialist on the prevention of torture.

Thursday, Oct 08 (Video)

Tuesday, Oct 13 (Zoom)

Arbitrary detention and extrajudicial killings

(Special procedures)

Read:

Genser, J. M., & Winterkorn-Meikle, M. K. (2007). The Intersection of Politics and International Law: The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in Theory and in Practice. Colum. Hum. Rts. L. Rev., 39, 687.

OHCHR. Fact Sheet No.11 (Rev.1), Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions.

Watch:

Special Procedures - A spotlight on individual and collective human rights

Thursday, Oct 15 (Video)

Tuesday, Oct 20 (Zoom)

Vulnerable populations: children, indigenous peoples, LGBTQ, persons with disabilities

Read:

Nogueira, M. B. B. (2017). The promotion of LGBT rights as international human rights norms: Explaining Brazil’s diplomatic leadership. Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Organizations, 23(4), 545-563.

Convention on the Rights of the Child

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

C169 - Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169)

Watch: Video Lecture

Thursday, Oct 22 (Video)

Tuesday, Oct 27 (Zoom)

Migrants and refugees

Read:

Loescher, G. (2014). UNHCR and Forced Migration. In E. Fiddian-Qasmiyeh, g. Loescher, K. Long, N. Sigona (Ed.). The Oxford handbook of refugee and forced migration studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Convention relating to the Status of Refugees

International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families

Watch: Video lecture

Thursday, Oct 29 (Video)

Enforced disappearances

Read:

International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance

McCrory, S. (2007). The International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance. Human rights Law review, 7(3), 545-566.

Tuesday, Nov 3^rd: Instructional holiday, no class. Submit Country Report no later than 11:59pm.

Thursday, Nov 5 (Zoom)