LAWS 4436 International Human Rights Law
This class will examine legal understandings ofand responses tosome of the most compelling human rights, humanitarian (law of war), and refugee law challenges of our times. Among many other topics, we will explore torture, religious freedom, refugee and humanitarian protections, genocide, refugee law, the human rights of migrants, human trafficking, and criminal prosecutions of alleged war criminals and those who commit crimes against humanity. We will engage critically with ideas of gender, culture, ethnicity, legal status, and race. We will consider: - What are human rights? - What is human rights law? - How do Western ideas of human rights differ from other conceptions? - What are the major international law, treaties, instruments, customary norms, etc. that create and protect human rights, including economic and social rights, rights against racial, ethnic, religious, and gender discrimination, rights to self-determination, and the rights of children? - How do refugees differ from migrants? - How does international humanitarian law intersect with human rights law? - Which institutions (including tribunals and courts) monitor and enforce such law?
Course overview
- Department
- Law
- School
- LAW
- Credits
- 3
- Level
- Graduate
- Offered
- Annually
Course evaluations
- Course rating
- 4.40 / 5 · Very Good
- Instructor rating
- 4.80 / 5 · Excellent
- Terms evaluated
- 2
| Term | Instructor | Course overall | Instructor overall | Well organized | Clear learning objectives | Intellectually challenging | Helpful assignments | Applicable beyond course | Attendance necessary | Weekly effort | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | Katharine Young | 4.6 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 4–6 hrs/week | 5 of 5 |
| Fall 2024 | Katharine Young | 4.2 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4–6 hrs/week | 5 of 5 |