Background materials that are to be browsed in advance of the first lecture 1. October:
“The International Bill of Human Rights”, comprising Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (1966/1976), and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966/1976). These documents are available from University of Minnesota Human Rights Library at http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/instree/auob.htm
Participants should have access to: The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (1993) Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights at http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/vienna.htm, and Charter of the United Nations (1945) from University of Minnesota Human Rights Library at http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/instree/aunchart.htm.
The course will discuss two important decisions by international human rights bodies. These are not included in the required readings and will be distributed to course participants as handouts and/or be posted at the course site (4321B) in classfronter. They are:
United Nations Human Rights Committee: Views in respect of Communication No. 1155/2003 – Leirvåg et al. v. Norway, of 3 November 2004 [The UN HR Committee decision against Norway on Norway’s mandatory religious education curriculum]; 23 pages
The European Court of Human Rights Grand Chamber: Judgment in the Case of Leyla Sahin v. Turkey (Application No. 44774/98) 10 November 2005; 25 pages, available at http://www.strasbourgconference.org
Handouts and other supplementary readings will be made available as the course proceeds. Also, a detailed teaching plan will be presented Monday 1 October. Additional handouts and supplementary readings will be posted in classfronter.
At the first course lecture on 1 October handouts will be available of relevant excerpts from “Setting International Standards in the Field of Human Rights” (GAR 41/120, 4. Dec. 1986), “Statute of the International Court of Justice” (1945) and “Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties” (1969).
Beyond the above-mentioned documents course participants who do not have any background in International Human Rights should consult Thomas Buergenthal et al., International Human Rights in a Nutshell, 3rd Ed., St Paul, MN: West Publishing Company, 2002:21-146, 159-173
Required reading:
James W. Nickel, Making Sense of Human Rights, Second Edition, Malden MA: Blackwell publishing, 2007:53-184; 131 pages
Antonio Cassese, “Protection of Human Rights”, in: International Law, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001:349-374, 451-452; 27 pages
Tore Lindholm et al. eds.: Facilitating Freedom of Religion or Belief: A Deskbook, Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2004:xxxvi-xlii, 24-56,147-172, 209-238; 86 pages
John F. Murphy: The United States and the Rule of Law in International Affairs, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004:1-38, 63-66, 323-360; 77 pages
David P. Forsythe, “The United States and International Criminal Justice”, Human Rights Quarterly, 24, 2002:974-991; 17 pages
David P. Forsythe: Human Rights in International Relations, 2nd Edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006:57-88, 121-217; 68 pages
Mary Ann Glendon: A World Made New: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, New York: Random House, 2001:99-241; 138 pages
Thomas Risse et. al.: The Power of Human Rights. International Norms and Domestic Change, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999:109-133, 205-278; 99 pages
Martha C. Nussbaum, “The Role of Religion”, in: Women and Human Development: The Capabilities Approach, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000: 167-240; 73 pages
Brian Barry, “Liberal States and Illiberal Religions”, in: Culture and Equality, Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press, 2001:155-193; 37 pages
Total: 798 pages.