Politics and Society: Human Rights as a challenge for Social Sciences (5op)

Osaamistavoitteet

By the end of this course, the participants are able to:
- define the fundamental concepts related to human rights law
- understand the basics of anthropological engagement with law
- analyse the relation between politics and human and fundamental rights
- understand how laws work in society
- apply the knowledge they gain in this course in their fieldwork in a reflexive and critical manner.

Sisältö

Socio-legal research on human rights explores tensions between theories of culture and human rights. This course examines the relationships of these two controversial concepts, culture and rights. The emphasis of the course is on critical examination of human rights law as an instrument of social change, justice, and human rights. We will focus on different fields of socio-legal research tradition: rights of indigenous peoples, migration law and legal protection for persons with disabilities, and analyze these together with the newly evolving human rights standards.

Oppimateriaalit

1. Introduction to the course, goals and requirements
Introduction to course syllabus, goals of the course, and the required working methods
Reading: Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Introduction to legal anthropology / sociology and human rights research
Reading: Bruce-Jones, Eddie 2009. Anthropology as Critical Legal Intervention? Instrumentalization, Co-Construction, and Critical Reformulation in the Relationship Between Anthropology and Law, in 14 UCLA J. INT’L. & Foreign AFF. 331 (2009)
Statements on Human Rights AAA 1947 and AAA Declaration 1999

2. Universalism and relativism and what are the basic human rights documents?
Reading:
The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR)
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR)
Richard A. Wilson: Representing Human Rights violations: Social contexts and subjectivities, in human rights, culture and context: anthropological perspectives, ed by R.A. Wilson. London and Sterling, VA: Pluto Press, 1997, pp. 134-60
Facultative reading: Koskenniemi, Martti. 2001. Human Rights, politics and love. Mennesker & Rettigheter 4/2001, 33-45.

3. Rights of Migrants workers and their families
Convention on the Rights of the Child
Reading: International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (1990)
Film: Messages from Paradies by Samuli Schielke and Daniela Schwarowski (2010) 44 min.

4. Indigenous peoples and their rights
Reading: UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/DRIPS_en.pdf
Jean E Jackson Right to Indigenous Culture in Columbia
Film: The Last Yoik in Sami Forest (Hannu Hyvönen) (30 min)

5. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities / CEDAW
Reading: Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities / CEDAW
Eunjung Kim: Heaven for Disabled Peoples: nationalism and international human rights imagery, Disability & Society, Vol 11, 2011, pp. 93-106.
And conclusions.

Lisätiedot

Teachers:
Professor Reetta Toivanen, University of Helsinki (reetta.toivanen@helsinki.fi)
university researcher Heidi Sinevaara-Niskanen (heidi.sinevaara-niskanen@ulapland.fi)

Toteutustavat

We read selected texts and discuss them. The participants shall take actively part in the discussions. The participants should take notes during all the lessons and reflect on the reading material in her/his notes – and reflect on these notes in a lecture diary which is returned for evaluation.

Suoritustavat

This course is based on independent reading, lectures and active seminar sessions. Obligatory active participation in the lectures and seminar sessions. The participants should be 100% present in the five course meetings. A lecture diary.