2449.18 - Human Rights, Religion and Politics

2449.18

Human Rights, Religion and Politics

10

Bachelor degree or equivalent with adequate component of law

The student will gain knowledge about concepts and theories on human rights and religion; to understand the interaction and tensions between human rights and religion and to understand tensions between concepts such as secularization and religion, universalism and relativism, rights and duties, the individual and society. The purpose of the course is to examine the origins of international norms and how normative systems of ideas, such as religion, have shaped national and international politics. The students will also analyze international judgments from both a dogmatic as well as a theoretical perspective.

All human beings have certain inalienable rights which should be respected and defended regardless of political, cultural and religious circumstances. This noble ambition was the very purpose of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UN in 1948. However, the vision of unifying the world around these values – and across different cultures and religions – has proven more than difficult. After 1948, many states and regional alliances have adopted their own versions of human rights according to their own cultural and religious particularities. The ongoing tensions between local particularities and global standards triggers certain key questions: What is a human right? What are the origins of values such as freedom of religion and freedom of expression? Is it possible to implement “universal” rights in a multicultural and multireligious world? Or are all rights relative vis-à-vis time, place and faith? This interdisciplinary course will combine normative political theory, philosophy, history and law. The course will examine how international norms emerge, how they travel across borders and how rivalling normative systems of belief, such as religion, shape national and international politics.

The course will consist of lectures by main teacher and guest teachers. Active participation from student will be expected

When the course is over, students are required to: - Analyze basic concepts on human rights, religion, secularization, universalism and relativism - Analyze the interaction and tensions between religion and human rights - Apply these concepts when analyzing concrete and contemporary human rights issues, fx in the analysis of concrete human rights judgments.

External Oral exam shall count for 2/3, and a written home assignment, which is a prerequisite for admission to the exam shall count for 1/3 of the mark. The home assignment consists of an analysis and critical discussion of a judgment from the European Court of Human Rights relevant to this course. The judgment must be at least 20 pages long. The home assignment must fill min. 6 pages (18,375 characters without spaces) and max. 8 pages (24,500 characters without spaces).

External

7-

Approximately 700 pages

Bárður Larsen